Call It Roulette
by AkiraDawn
Summary: He wants her. She wants someone else. He doesn't know she wants him, but he wants her back. He made a mistake but she made a bigger one. He's not sure what he wants anymore. She might be heartbroken. Is it all a mess? No. Love is a gamble. Many pairings!
1. The New Recruit

Call It Roulette

This is my personal challenge to combine parts of Crisis Core and Final Fantasy VII. Just something I wanted to do and it centers around The Turks. Please don't expect everyone to be 100% in character. Not sure what the reception will be but this is something I wanted to write and I hope you like it! There is a lot of mature content…you have been warned!

I don't own anything related to Final Fantasy. It belongs to Square Enix.

"Good morning." She said dropping a file onto a stack of papers that was already piled high.

"Morning. Have a seat." He said pointing to the chair beside his desk.

"Got my assignment for the day, already? You never waste any time, that's for sure." She said pushing chestnut hair off her shoulders. He seemed to be only half listening as he scribbled away on a tablet in front of him. She couldn't understand how this man could stay so calm with so many piles of paperwork that needed attention. He somehow managed to get it all done and then some.

"Here. These are the files on the twelve recent academy graduates. Tell me which one is the next Turk." Tseng said not looking up from the tablet before him.

"Alright." Cissnei said taking the stack of files into her lap. She opened the first one and gave it a glance and threw it on the small table beside her. She did the same with the next four. She examined the fifth file carefully, looking at every page in it. She laid it against her chest and continued to examine the next two. In total, Cissnei threw nine files aside and re-examined the three lying up against her chest. She then eliminated one. Finally, she had made her choice. "This one." She said handing the file folder back to her boss.

"You're sure?" he asked pulling a pair of reading glasses out of his inner pocket of his jacket and taking the file from Cissnei.

"Yeah. That one has impeccable credentials. Graduated top and appears to be a hard worker." Cissnei commented. Tseng opened up the file and started looking over the first page. He looked up as an expression of question spread across his forehead. He laid the file down and pushed his chair backwards, rolling toward the other side of the desk. He grabbed a binder and began to flip through its pages. "What?" Cissnei questioned. "I didn't know you wore glasses by the way."

"I don't. I only use these in a pinch." Tseng admitted. "It's the name." He said referring to the file.

"What do you mean?" Cissnei asked. Tseng stopped on a page in the binder and tapped it with his pen before handing it over to Cissnei.

"Her sister. I knew she had a sister but I never put two and two together." Tseng said mostly to himself.

"Please explain." Cissnei said. He took his glasses off and laid them on the desk in front of him.

"You picked this…Elena. Her sister was a Turk. I recognized the last name. Her name was Annika. I knew she had a sister but Annika barely mentioned her. Huh, Elena is that sister. Must run in the family." Tseng said handing the binder over to Cissnei.

"What's she do now?" Cissnei asked reviewing Elena's sisters' credentials.

"I have no idea." Tseng said. "So…Elena. You're job is to show her around. Get her in here and show her the ropes. Check her out in one of the training rooms. See where her skills lie. Oh and you're on vacation in two weeks. You're going to Costa del Sol." Tseng said.

"What? How is it vacation if you're telling me where to go?" Cissnei asked. Tseng looked up at her and smiled.

"Smart girl, Cissnei." Tseng said.

"There must be a reason why I'm going." She said.

"There might be. Elena should be with the other academy graduates today. It's their last day to turn in their portfolios. I'd tell you what she looks like but I have no idea." Tseng said turning around and looking at a monitor across the room. Cissnei watched him.

"Do you have feelings for her?" she asked changing the subject as he stayed fixated on the monitor.

"No. God, Cissnei I could be her father. I'm just…fascinated by her. She's the last of her kind. She managed to get flowers to grow in that church." He said.

"You're fourteen years older than her…you couldn't be her father!" Cissnei said laughing.

"Well, I could barely be her father." Tseng said.

"Alright, I'll go find this…Elena. I'll see what she's made of." Cissnei said standing up.

"Good. I trust your selection." Tseng said returning to his paperwork.

"I'll have a report for you by the end of the day. With credentials like those she won't let you down." Cissnei said as she walked out the door.

"Cissnei!" Tseng called to her. She poked her head back in the door. "Think she knows how to wear a tie?" Cissnei laughed.

"If she doesn't she'll learn soon enough." Cissnei said before disappearing down the hall. She didn't bother taking Elena's file with her. She went over the credentials in her head: Keen flexibility, diverse in weapons, 5' 3" 120 pounds, 29 years old. She was about Cissnei's size but ten years older. Of course Cissnei was the youngest Turk ever on record. Cissnei hoped Elena had gained some training in jumping out of choppers. She would find out soon enough. Cissnei took the elevator to the academy floor. Just as Tseng had said all the recent academy graduates were turning in final portfolios…whatever the hell went in those that is. Cissnei remembered doing the same when she passed through the academy two years earlier. She opened the door and walked past the front desk to the hallway where all the graduates were lined up. "Which one of you is Elena?" Cissnei asked matter of factly.

"I'm Elena." She answered standing up. Cissnei smiled and walked over to the woman who called herself Elena. Cissnei was right she was about Cissnei's height, petite, and very pretty blond hair. She wasn't cute, she was elegant and frankly she looked too proper to have the credentials that she had.

"Hi, I'm Cissnei of the Turks. Congratulations Elena, you've been accepted to join our ranks. If you'll come with me?" Cissnei said. Elena smiled at her.

"Wow um…thank you, thank you. Oh and it's very nice to meet you Cissnei." Cissnei disregarded everyone else in the room and lead Elena out of the room.

"You'll be with me for the day. I'll show you around, show you how things are done up here, give you the grand tour of the whole building, introduce you to everyone and you know…that sort of thing." Cissnei explained as they entered an elevator and Cissnei punched the 51st floor. "That's a pretty dress by the way. You ready to trade it in for a suit and tie?" Cissnei asked her as the elevator lunged upward quickly.

"I suppose so. I would have come more prepared had I known I was going to become a member of the Turks today." Elena said.

"Don't worry about it. You can change and hang everything in a locker for today." Cissnei smiled. Then tomorrow you can change in the comfort of your bedroom. The elevator doors flung open. Elena's eyes shot toward the placard on the wall: DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE RESEARCH. Elena had never been on the Turks floor before. "This way." Cissnei nodded her head and lead Elena down the hallway immediately to her left. There wasn't much down this hallway but Cissnei swiped her ID card through a card reader on one of the doors. Elena followed her inside. Cissnei put her hands on Elena's shoulders and then backed up.

"Hmmm…well you're definitely not big." Cissnei said as she searched around the shelves for a minute. "Here we go. I don't know why we keep all this back here. It's rarely used! It's not like there's a whole floor of us. You make Turk number five. Here ya go. Go in that back room there and try this on. Like I said, put anything you want in that locker in there." Cissnei said.

"Alright, thanks." Elena answered her, doing as Cissnei instructed her. "Next, we'll go have your ID badge made. "But most importantly, I'm a girl that likes to plan ahead. In that case where should we go for lunch today?" Cissnei asked Elena.

"What do you like?" Elena asked her as she changed her clothes.

"I eat just about anything." Cissnei told her.

"Wanna go to the new place in sector six? I've never been there but I've heard good things about it." Elena said.

"Yeah, let's give it a try." Cissnei said. Elena stepped out of the back room as she adjusted her sleeves and began to tie the tie around her neck accordingly. Cissnei smiled.

"You know how to tie a tie." She said.

"Yeah, I used to tie them for my dad when I lived at home because he was constantly running late." Elena said.

"How's it all fit?" Cissnei asked.

"Just fine. I'll uh…fix the shoes tomorrow." Elena said referring to her silver shoes she was currently wearing. Cissnei smiled.

"Too bad you and I can't wear something like those. Come on, we'll get your ID card and at the end of the day today you can scan it and get back in here to get your stuff. But as we make our way to the ID room I want you to meet my superiors. Cissnei lead Elena back down the hallway in the opposite direction and around the corner. She knocked on the door frame.

"Elena, Rude…Rude, meet our newest recruit. This is Elena." Cissnei introduced her. Rude stopped what he was doing and stood up. He was so tall and truthfully, pretty intimidating to people who didn't know him.

"I'm Rude nice to meet you and welcome. You'll like it around here." He said.

"Nice to meet you too. I look forward to working with everyone up here." Elena said.

"Let's see if lazy ass is in his office." Cissnei walked Elena down around another corner. She knocked on a closed door.

"Yeah." The voice from behind the door called. Cissnei opened it only to find Reno with his feet on his desk and his eyes glued to the TV news above him.

"Hey, this is Elena. She's our newest." Cissnei said. Reno suddenly found himself less interested in whatever the news was blabbering on about.

"Hi there. I'm Reno and you are?" he asked smiling all over.

"Elena." She introduced herself.

"It's about time to get another girl up here. Cissnei gets so sick of us." Reno said.

"No! I get sick of you!" Cissnei said laughing at him. "Don't work too hard." She said sarcastically as she took Elena away yet again.

"Don't mind him. Reno's great but my god…he can be annoying as hell. And now for the main event." Cissnei said walking to the end of the hallway to the corner office. "He always paces like that when he's on the phone." Cissnei said peering through the glass portion of the wall. Elena looked at the sign beside the door: DIRECTOR. Cissnei waited until he finally hung up the phone and let herself in.

"This is Tseng, the Director…our boss if you will. Tseng, Elena. Fresh off the academy line." Cissnei said. Tseng studied her for a moment.

"Hello, congratulations on your academy success." He said extending a hand to Elena.

"Thank you. I look forward working up here." Elena said as she fixed her eyes on Tseng.

"You earned it and you're in good hands with Cissnei. She knows how things are done up here and soon enough you will. By the way, what's your sister doing now?" Tseng asked. Elena looked at Tseng a bit strangely. She didn't realize he had already put two and two together and realized that her sister had preceded her up here.

"She works as a hotel concierge." Elena said.

"I see. Well, you two carry on. I have quite a bit to get done today." Tseng said.

"Catch up with you later. We're going to have her ID badge made." Cissnei said as she left Tseng to his work.

"There's someone left but he's not in the building today." Cissnei said leading Elena to the elevator once again.

"Oh?" Elena questioned.

"Rufus Shinra himself. Of course I have yet to take you to the SOLDIER floor. There are plenty to meet there too. But Rufus is of higher priority because we work with him directly." Cissnei said. It was still early in the day and there was much more to come in Elena's life as a newly recruited Turk.


	2. Training Day

"You flexible?" Cissnei asked.

"Yeah, I would consider myself pretty flexible. I do a lot of yoga." Elena said.

"Good, show me. This is our model building. Let me see how you would scale it using this hook and rope. I want to see you throw it and latch it to that mocked fire escape. When you reach the top cross the mock roof and show me how you would break in to the adjacent window. Finally, go through it without getting yourself cut to pieces. It's real glass." Cissnei instructed her. Elena nodded her head and proceeded. Cissnei watched her carefully. Elena didn't waste time and she was efficient. Cissnei studied her every move until she had completed her task. "That's good, that's quite good. Why did you shoot that window out where you did?" she questioned Elena.

"The lower center of most windows is a pressure point. You hit it right and the window shatters so you don't cut yourself getting inside." Elena explained. Cissnei smiled.

"Nice. Come on, let's go to the range." Cissnei said as she lead Elena out of the room and down the hall. The range was at the end of the hall and was used constantly during the day. She and Elena went through the automatic doors and Cissnei handed over a set of ear plugs and safety glasses to Elena. She took a set herself. She then proceeded toward an area that was glassed in and soon emerged with something. "This is a .32 caliber pistol. The nice thing about it?" Cissnei didn't finish. Elena finished the sentence for her.

"No kick...but it still leaves a big hole. Can't miss with one of those." Cissnei smiled at her.

"Here...this bitch is loaded. Show me what kinda damage you can do to that target." Cissnei said putting her ear plugs in and her safety glasses on. It was always required on the range. Elena did the same and took the loaded gun from her. She stood behind the line and lined herself up with the target. Elena looked over at Cissnei for the go ahead. "Whenever you're ready." Elena nodded at her and began unloading the first round. Once it was empty she loaded another clip and emptied it. Finally, she repeated the process with a third clip all the while Cissnei watched a computer readout screen. Elena turned and looked at Cissnei as she pulled her ear plugs out. Cissnei did the same and looked up at Elena.

"Do you realize that you just shot with a 90.4 percent accuracy?" Cissnei said.

"Yeah...I...it's not my best shooting. I guess I was kind of nervous. I'm sorry." Elena apologized.

"Are you kidding me! You only have to shoot with a 77.6 percent accuracy to even be considered a candidate for a Turk! Hell, Rude can't even shoot your percentage! I can't either!" That's...well that's really something." Cissnei said.

"Thank you. Should I clean the barrel now?" Elena asked.

"Nah, just leave it back there. Infantry will clean everything. They get weapons out all day anyway." Cissnei said. "Let's go do a simulated jump."

"A what?" Elena questioned.

"A simulated chopper jump. The practice chopper is over in hanger B. Really, SOLDIER uses it more than we do. They are the ones doing most of the air entries but occasionally we do them as well." Cissnei explained.

"Oh god, you'll see just how clumsy I can be." Elena admitted. "So, do we operate them too? The helicopters that is."

"No, well...that's Reno's specialty. The guy is lazy as hell but he's the best damn helicopter pilot Shinra has. I'm tellin' ya...there is no one I would feel safer with in a chopper than him. So, that's his area. He's always the pilot. And speaking of who's good at what...Rude has brute force. That's the most intimidating thing about him. He's strong, he has stamina, and he gets respect. Me? Well, I'm good with a shuriken but I'm even better at getting needed information." Cissnei explained.

"And Tseng?" Elena questioned.

"That man is pure stealth. He can make things happen that make the three of us go what the hell! We call him boss for a reason. He unfolds it all behind the scenes with hardly anyone ever knowing. He certainly knows how to throw a temper tantrum but truthfully in spite of that he keeps his calm better than anyone that works in this building. So, we have Reno helicopter extrodanaire, Rude the intimidator, me the collector, Tseng the backbone and now you...whatever you wanna be." Cissnei said smiling. Elena smiled back at her.

"I don't hardly know what that will be." Elena said.

"Soon enough you will have your niche." Cissnei assured her as they approached hanger B.

"You been around copters much?" Cissnei asked.

"A little. They don't spend a lot of time on them in the academy. That's why I'm a bit uncoordinated around them." Elena said.

"Don't worry, you'll acclimate yourself soon enough." Cissnei said as she directly Elena into the back door of the hanger. The only thing that was different from this jump versus actually jumping out of the choppers was the blade wind resistance. It couldn't be recreated within this hanger but the height was the same at which drops were made. Elena had already been through a lot today. On top of the range and them building break in demo, she had also run a five minute mile with Cissnei and demonstrated her technique for picking various types of locks. She felt hot and sweaty and the warm May didn't help the temperature in the hanger either. "Okay, you go ahead and get ahold of that rope. The automatic lift will pull you up. Hold on tight or of course, you'll fall into the mat. Could be a lot worse if if were mid-air." Cissnei instructed her. And now it was time for Elena's clumsy side to vividly show through. The automatic lift from inside the mock chopper had barely started to pull her up and she fell right off the rope into the blue mats below. Her hands simply slid right off the rope. By the third time, the rope had successfully burned her hands and she was so mad at herself for falling into the mat repeatedly. "Okay, okay forget that. Just climb up that ladder and jump out a few times." Cissnei said before Elena fell off any more.

"I'm sorry. I'll get better I swear." she promised.

"I'm not worried about it. It's okay. Don't be so hard on yourself." Cissnei insisted. Elena did much better climbing up the ladder and simply making the jump. You couldn't be scared of heights in this line of work. The arial jump was at least twenty feet off the ground and perhaps a little farther than that. Elena had no trouble coming out of the chopper, it s just getting in it. Cissnei stopped her after the fifth jump. "That's enough. Let's get outta here, it's hot anyway. You can take a shower if you want and then we'll go have lunch. When we come back, I'll show you some of the forms and other paperwork we use regularly and we'll pay a visit to the SOLDIER floor and you can meet Lazard Deusericus." Cissnei said. Elena was grateful to be done in this hanger. The ventilation s horrible.

"Thank you for showing me around and everything." she said.

"Hey, I'm happy to do it. Every day I'm surrounded by men. Do you have any idea how happy I am that there's another woman up here with me?" Cissnei said. Elena laughed.

"Oh, and swipe your ID card to use the showers on the 60th floor. Never go to the 56th floor locker rooms."

"Thanks for the tip." Elena said as they entered the building once more.

"Meet me back on our floor when you're done. I'll be in my office." Cissnei said as she parted ways with Elena. She didn't immediately go to her office though. She had a report to give to Tseng. She knew he would be available this close to their lunch hour. It was so predictable, the Turks always went to lunch at 12:10. No one, not even Tseng knew how the time had become 12:10 but that was always when they went to lunch. Of course, today Cissnei was going to sneak away longer than one hour with Elena.

"Look at this. The last thing I said to Reno was no green peppers and he comes back with, I swear, what appears to be extra green peppers on this sub." Tseng said as he saw Cissnei approach his open door.

"Half the time I think Reno purposely messes up your lunch orders that he gives you...and my god this office of yours is a mess! That's not like you to have this place looking like...well...my office." Cissnei said.

"I know. I'm trying to take care of too many things at once. That's why it looks like this. Sit down. Talk to me about Elena." Tseng said creating a pile of green peppers on a paper plate.

"She's extremely well trained. She takes it all very seriously and she's hard on herself. She has very high expectations." Cissnei explained.

"Really? Just like her sister." Tseng said.

"She's very agile and thinks things through carefully. Not too great getting in to a chopper, but hey." Cissnei said.

"Who do you think she would work best with on assignments?" Tseng asked.

"That's a no brainer...you." Cissnei said.

"Taste this. This isn't diet. I told Reno I wanted diet. I hate regular soda so much." Tseng said handing over a drink to Cissnei. She tried it.

"That's not diet. Hold on, there's lots of diet in the fridge out there." Cissnei said getting up.

"Me? Are you saying she takes it all _that_ seriously?" Tseng asked as Cissnei disappeared across the room.

"I wouldn't lie. Besides, Reno and Rude compliment each very well. You have been saying that you wish you had a partner who took their work as seriously as you do and I found your partner." Cissnei said handing over a can to Tseng.

"Excellent. I'll take her with me to the meeting with Rufus next week. When's her birthday? She needs to be put on payroll as of today." Tseng said.

"I don't know. I'll ask her though. By the way, why didn't you work directly with her sister. If her sister was so good and all?" Cissnei asked.

"Her sister went with Reeve frequently on assignments. Reeve was director then after all, and he called the shots." Tseng said.

"Well, you call the shots now." Cissnei said as she stood up to go to her office. "That's your report. I'm going to my office to wait for her. We're going out for lunch." Cissnei said.

"Tell her to come see me before she leaves today. I want to give her some details about the meeting with Rufus next week. Hey, have you shown her our refrigerator yet?" Tseng asked her.

"No, but don't worry. I'm saving the best for last." Cissnei said leaving Tseng to his lunch and going over to her own office. She had file folders and papers all over the place, not to mention there were a slew of phone numbers pinned to the cork board above her desk. She didn't have long to work before Elena returned.

"Okay, I'm back. Wow that feels so much better." Elena said.

"Great! Let's get outta here." Cissnei said shoving a file aside and grabbing her purse. "Your office is still in the process of being cleaned and set up. It'll be ready tomorrow." She noticed Elena had already stopped by the locker where she had put all of her things earlier.

"Do you mind if I put these clothes in my car on the way out?" Elena asked.

"Not at all, which side of the building are you parked on." Cisssnei asked.

"East lot." Elena answered.

"Starting tomorrow you can park in the north lot. It's much closer to this side of the building. Your ID badge will let you park in any of the lots." Cissnei said.

"Seriously, thank you for spending so much time with me." Elena said.

"It's my pleasure really." Cissnei said as they left the building.


	3. CIssnei Presents: The SOLDIER Floor

"Well, I entered the academy when I was fifteen. I'm the youngest Turk Shinra has ever had. I just turned nineteen. Last year was my first year with the Turks." Cissnei explained.

"Wow! You must be exceptionally talented." Elena said. Cissnei shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know…maybe. Reeve recommended me before he quit and passed along title of Director to Tseng. Elena laughed and raised her eyebrows.

"Reeve…" was all she said.

"What?" Cissnei questioned.

"You think I don't know about the rumors?" Elena said.

"What rumors?" Cissnei asked leaning in over her plate. "I didn't really know Reeve. He just picked me to replace someone that was leaving the Turks." Elena smiled.

"You replaced my sister. There was a reason she left at the same Reeve did. See, my sister is a spoiled brat. She gets whatever she wants and she will use anyone to get whatever she wants. Everything has to be Annika's way or no way. She uh…spent a lot of time with Reeve. I overheard a phone conversation once that insinuated that my sister was sleeping with Reeve." Elena said.

"Are you serious!" Cissnei asked.

"Oh yeah. But…here's what I think. My sister is thirty two. She joined the ranks of the Turks when she was twenty-six. Reeve would have been fifty-six when she was twenty-six…that's a thirty year age gap. What I think really was going on is that Annika was making people _think_ she was sleeping with Reeve and she basked in the attention of people thinking that. Like I said, she's good at manipulating. She may have slept with him once or twice…just because she could. But I think it was all part of her grand plan and she left with Reeve when she did because she knew she couldn't manipulate anyone else the way she could Reeve. Think about it…if you're a man in your fifties you are gonna fall for a twenty-something who's showering you with attention. My sister is the pretty one so believe me, if she wanted something she could use her long blond hair and her tits to get it…including Reeve." Elena said.

"Wow! I've never heard that before but my god that is good stuff! She sounds…" Cissnei searched for the word.

"An evil bitch? Yeah. That's her." Elena said.

"I grew up in an orphanage and I always thought how much fun it would be to have a sister. But hearing you talk about your sister…well…it sounds kind of sad." Cissnei said.

"We're not close at all. I resent her. She's always been number one in everything she's done I've lived in her shadow my entire life. An orphanage? What was that like?" Elena asked changing the subject back to Cissnei.

"It was lonely. You could never really get attached to anyone because just when you thought you had gotten to know someone they would be adopted or they would be gone from the orphanage or something. I have no idea who my parents are." Cissnei admitted as she emptied her water glass.

"I'm sorry." Elena said sincerely.

"It's okay. I have a great life. I have lots of friends, a little apartment right here in the city that I rent from a seventy-year-old Chinese man, a great job…" Cissnei laughed. "…and any SOLDIER I wanna sleep with."

"What!" Elena said with wide eyes. She covered her mouth with both her hands as she laughed at Cissnei. Now that Cissnei had learned a little bit about Elena it was time for Cissnei to share some _real_ information with her.

"Elena, you and I have something more powerful than any weapon in the Shinra building. We have something that…is very few and far between within the walls of Shinra. Now, I…would never do anything manipulative and I would never use it for the wrong reasons like your sister may or may not have done but uh…pardon my uncouthness…pussy talks. You'll see exactly what I mean when I take you on the SOLDIER floor." Cissnei said. "And speaking of which, let's get back and I'll show you."

Cissnei and Elena left sector six and made their way back toward the train stop. The Shinra building was four train stops away. "Do you live here in the city?" Cissnei asked.

"Yeah, I have a two bedroom apartment at the Midgar Plaza." Elena said.

"Really? Tseng lives three blocks north of the Midgar Plaza. He has a townhouse right there at the traffic circle. It's in that row of like six townhouses there. So, what did you do before you entered the academy?" Cissnei asked.

"I was a bartender in the Wall Market." Elena answered.

"Were you really? I've always wanted to do that. It seems like it would be a fun job to have." Cissnei said.

"It really is. But you have to get a thick skin to all the comments you get from drunks." Elena said. The train made its stops quickly and soon one of the several Shinra building stops approached. Once off the train Elena and Cissnei headed back inside the building. Elena hadn't had her ID card for eight hours yet and already she had used it half a dozen times.

"Now Elena, I'm going to take you to the SOLDIER floor." Cissnei laughed. "I'm not one to brag but…I own this floor." The elevator shot up to the 56th floor and the tone signaled before the doors flew open. "Watch what happens when these automatic doors come open." Cissnei said turning around and looking at Elena. When Cissnei stepped through the automatic doors it was as if time stood still. Instantly, eyes shot up at her. Elena swore to herself that she heard a few piles of papers hit the floor when Cissnei passed through.

"Cissnei!" a voice called to her.

"Hello Kunsel." Cissnei answered. "Way to go boys, keep that up and you're be SOLDIER 2nd class in no time." She walked through the long hallway with a confident stride and her pace was swift. In fact Elena had a little trouble keeping up with her. "Got those files for me?" Cissnei stopped and asked a SOLDIER.

"Right here, Cissnei." He handed them over to her.

"Thank you! Hey, is Lazard in?" she asked.

"Should be. He was up in the briefing room." A SOLDEIR told her.

"Hey you! Haven't seen you in a few days." She said throwing her hand in the air.

"Cissnei! What brings you up here today?" another SOLDIER asked her.

"Checkin' up on it, baby." Cissnei answered.

"How's it look up here?" he called to her as she disappeared around the corner with Elena trailing close behind. There was another elevator on this side of the building.

"Lookin' like you like what ya' see! Be good now!" Cissnei said as she punched the button on the elevator. Almost just as fast as Cissnei had stormed the SOLDIER floor with Elena, they were gone. Once inside the elevator, Cissnei looked at Elena. She had a look of disbelief on her face.

"That…that was unreal…what you just did. My god! Everyone in there….stopped! I watched them stop what they were doing! I've never seen so many eyes on someone!" Elena said. Cissnei smiled.

"I don't mean this to sound like a total spoiled bitch but…they would beat each other done to get a piece of this." Cissnei admitted. "But don't get me wrong, I haven't _totally_ whored myself out to the SOLDIER floor. Just…you know…a little." Cissnei said.

"You just…you own that floor. You walk in…and you own it." Elena said smiling in delight at Cissnei.

"I've never thought of it that way…I like you." Cissnei said.

Meanwhile back downstairs on the Turk's floor there was a very interesting phone call to Rufus Shinra taking place.

"Ru…Rufus…Rufus…just….just hush and listen for a minute. Tseng said clicking a pen incessantly. "I have this taken care of." Tseng assured him.

"No, no Tseng…I'm taking Cissnei. She's not…delegate dinner material if you know what I mean. I don't mean anything against her really but…she's too…too….for this crowd." Rufus insisted.

"I know you feel that way but…we got a new recruit today. I was thinking I'll send her with you." Tseng said.

"A new recruit?" Rufus questioned.

"Yeah…a she. It won't look obvious that you have someone there to protect you. It's a much better situation than you finding a date for this dinner and me or Rude going along too. Her name is Elena. She and I will be in next week to talk with you. I'll let you talk to her about the dinner specifics." Tseng said.

"Tseng, that's the best thing I've heard all day. See, this is why I keep you close by. And what is that clicking I keep hearing? Is that this connection? Should I switch phones?" Rufus asked.

"Oh, no it's not you. It's this pen." Tseng said throwing his pen over toward the desk. I think it's just a matter of good timing, Rufus as far as this delegate dinner is concerned. Reno and Rude just walked in." he said.

"Rufuuuuuuuuus!" Reno greeted Rufus pulling up a chair.

"Hello Reno." Rufus greeted him.

"Rufus!" Rude said pulling up a chair as Reno did.

"Tseng says you got a new recruit today." Rufus said.

"Yep, a blonde. Her sister was in the ranks until last year. Annika was her sister's name.

"Oh uh….the girl that left when Reeve did?" Rufus questioned.

"That's the one." Reno said. "This is her sister, Elena."

"Cissnei has been with her most of the day today. She's going to be working with me primarily, it looks like." Tseng said.

"Good, you need a partner, Tseng. You can't do it all by yourself." Rufus said.

"Oh he can but he doesn't know how much having a partner helps." Rude said laughing at Rufus.

"I don't know…I really annoy Rude sometimes." Reno admitted.

"Yes Reno, we all know how annoying you can potentially be but Cissnei assures me that Elena is a good fit to work with me." Tseng said.

"You'll know soon enough." Rufus said.

"This is true. It's going to be kind of strange for me though." Tseng admitted.

"You mean because you go solo on so many projects? Shit, Tseng you need a woman and I mean that in the most professional way possible so don't go putting words in my mouth!" Rufus said laughing at him. Tseng looked over at Reno and Rude.

"I don't know Rufus, maybe you're right." He said.


	4. The Big Guns

"You wanted to see me?" Elena asked as she appeared in Tseng's office. It was 4:30 PM and her first day as a member of the Turks was about to come to a close.

"Yeah, come on in. Have a seat." Tseng said as he shuffled a stack of papers around before stapling them together and shoving them inside a manila envelope. "When's your birthday?" he asked her.

"June 17th, 1980." Elena said.

"You're kidding? Mine's the 12th. One year earlier though." Tseng said rather surprised.

"Wow! Who'd have thought." Elena said.

"You're going to come with me to a meeting with Rufus Shinra next week. You and I are going to be working closely together." Tseng said.

"Alright. So, next week?" Elena said jotting that down on a tablet in front of her.

"Yes. I'll get back to you on the date. Also, in two weeks there is a very important delegate dinner which Rufus will be attending. Here's the thing. He needs a date and he needs protection. Would you be willing to go with him to this dinner? I know you don't even know Rufus yet but I promise you I'll introduce you next week." Tseng explained.

"Yes, certainly. I'll be glad to go." Elena agreed.

"Excellent. You have two weeks to get a formal gown. Pick out whatever you want because it's on company money. What um…what kind of gun did you shoot with Cissnei today?" Tseng asked.

".32 caliber pistol." Elena said.

"You and I will go back to the range before the end of the day. I want to see how you handle a 44 magnum." Tseng said. Elena laughed.

"That's a lotta' gun." She said.

"It is. A lotta' gun, a lotta' kick, a lotta' damage." Tseng said. "How did your day go with Cissnei."

"Very well. I appreciate her showing me around and everything." Elena said.

"I'm sure she enjoyed it." Tseng laughed. "She gets really sick of me, Reno and Rude sometimes. I'm tellin' ya she…she just gets so pissed with us." Elena smiled at him. "Oh, you should have my cell phone number. Here it is and don't hesitate to text for any reason. Actually, you can text any of us. You may as well put Reno, Rude and Cissnei in your phone as well." Tseng said scribbling some numbers on a piece of paper. Elena pulled her phone out of the inside pocket of her jacket. "There you go." Tseng slid the paper towards Elena.

"I'll send you a text with my number as well just as soon as I put this in here." Elena said.

"Do you like that phone?" Tseng questioned her as he watched her carefully.

"I think so. I just got it about a month ago. When I was moving from my old place to the apartment I'm in now my last phone got run over by the moving truck. It was a good time to upgrade anyway." Elena said.

"Where do you live?" Tseng asked as he watched her every move.

"Midgar Plaza." She answered.

"That's a nice place." Tseng said.

"Yeah, I like it there. Okay, there…just sent you a text with my number as well." Elena said shoving her phone back inside her pocket.

"Great. Let's head back to the range and finish up there for the day." Tseng said getting up and shoving his chair under his desk. "By the way did Cissnei give you a bulletproof vest today?" He asked closing his office door behind them.

"No." Elena answered as she followed him down the hallway.

"We'll find you one sometime tomorrow, not that we always have a need for a bulletproof vest but it's still good to have it accessible when you need it." Tseng explained as he and Elena stepped into the elevator. It didn't take them long to get down to the range where Cissnei and Elena had been earlier.

Back in Reno's office he and Rude had pretty much quit working and were simply watching the clock until it was time to leave. "Hey, Cissnei said she's goin' to Costa del Sol in two weeks. Why don't you and I ever get to go on any of the cool shit?" Reno asked.

"It's probably not gonna be a vacation for her. She's gonna have to do stuff while she's there. I'd rather be here. I hate the away assignments like that. You and I are making a couple runs next week. It's just supply deliveries though." Rude said.

"Yeah? Where we takin' supplies to?" Reno asked.

"Just a quick run outside of Midgar. Shouldn't take us more than a couple hours." Rude said.

"Is Tseng in his office?" Reno asked. Rude leaned back in his chair as far as possible without falling over but couldn't see to the other side of the hall. He rolled his chair backwards towards the door and slightly down the hall.

"His office door is closed and the lights are out. Earlier he said something about watching Elena fire a couple rounds out of one of the .44's. I'd say he's down on the range." He said.

"Shit!" Elena hissed at the gun in her hand. "My god this thing has kick!"

"Bend your arms a little. Put your left palm underneath to steady it a bit. It won't kick you as much that way." Tseng instructed her. Elena loaded another clip and did as Tseng told her. She planted her feet firmly to help control the power in this gun. Tseng was supposed to be watching he computer read-out but he was paying closer attention to how Elena handled herself. Once the round was empty she dropped the gun to her side and stared at the target.

"That is horrible." She said opening up the barrel and blowing excess debris away. Tseng joined her on the range and looked at her target.

"Watch me." Tseng said bring another gun like the one he had given Elena on to the range. She watched as he turned sideways with his back toward her and effortlessly unloaded a full round into the target. Furthermore, he did it one handed. "See? I can't get it within the desired range on every shot." He said as he turned to face Elena. She was awestruck by the way he did it so easily. She just stared at him for a moment and then shifted her focus to the target.

"Well, I have a lot of work to do. I'll practice this week." Elena said.

"You'll get used to the power soon enough. As long as you have your body at a good angle but still have your right hand aimed at the target you'll be fine." Tseng said. He took her right arm in his and shifted her fingers around on the gun. Bring your thumb right here. There you go. If you hold it like that you have a little more control." Elena could feel Tseng looming over her. His hands were soft. She hadn't expected that for some reason. "Thank you. Do you mind if I try another round?" she asked.

"Not at all. Let me grab you one." Tseng said laying his gun on the table behind them and getting Elena another clip. "Here you go." Tseng handed it over and returned to the computer to watch her readout on the new target. She waited for him to clear the range. She looked over at him for the signal to start. He waved a hand at her and Elena began to fire at the target. Once again he found himself watching her instead of the screen.

"What was it?" Elena asked referring to the computer's accuracy tracker.

"Huh? Oh…" Tseng looked at the screen.

"79.3 percent." Tseng answered her.

"By Friday I'll be 85 percent or higher." Elena promised. Tseng sat his safety glasses aside and took his earplugs out. He smiled at her.

"Those are some high expectations." He told her.

"I'll do it." She said opening up the barrel and laying the gun on the back table among many other weapons that were laying out for cleaning.

"Let's call it a day." Tseng said.

"Alright. I'll check in with Cissnei before I leave." Elena said.

"You know, your sister had excellent marksmanship. I guess you where you get your drive." Tseng said as Elena followed him away from the range.

"Just so we're clear Tseng…I hate her." Elena said seriously. Tseng looked at her a bit strangely.

"Really?" He laughed mostly to himself. "Just so we're clean Elena…I hate her too." Elena immediately shot her eyes at Tseng as the elevator flung open.

"Why do you hate her?" Elena questioned seriously. "I thought you trusted her?"

"I trusted her for how seriously she took her job but I hated for being such a manipulative bitch." Tseng told her honestly. Elena laughed.

"That's Annika for ya." Elena paused. "I'm uh…I'm not her…boss." She finished. Tseng shook his head.

"Good." He said as the elevator spit them back on their floor.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Elena said taking off in the opposite direction.

"Yes. See you then." Tseng answered her. Elena poked her head around the corner only to see that Cissnei's door was closed. She figured that Cissnei had already left and so she would just call her. There was one thing left to do today. With a Shinra budget, Elena knew that making a shoe choice wouldn't be a problem for this dinner with Rufus.


	5. The Turk Fridge

Nearly two weeks had passed and Elena had acclimated to life as a Turk very quickly. She had become quite close with not only Cissnei but Tseng as well. She and Tseng had been working on a couple different projects and he had introduced her to Rufus Shinra one week earlier. It had been a good meeting and Rufus had confided in Tseng that he thought Elena was 'perfect' for the delegate dinner. Tseng had to admit to himself that Cissnei had been right about Elena. Sure she was bit on the clumsy side but she was very serious about her work. Tseng had already gotten used to having a partner with him and in two weeks time he had drug her around everywhere with him. In fact, Reno had even made the comment in the past week that Tseng was spending _too_ much time with Elena. Tseng's defense was that the near daily lunch with Elena was purely business. Neither Reno nor Rude were entirely convinced but of course neither of them would know for sure either. Rude had gone to lunch with Tseng and Elena as well so he couldn't completely disagree with Tseng's defense. It was a rather quiet Wednesday on the Turk floor until Reno discovered the Turk fridge half empty. The Turk fridge was an interesting concept. It started out as a left over refrigerator that was from the 40th floor. It somehow ended up here with stuff in it. So, Reno, Rude, Tseng and Cissnei started putting stuff in it and labeling it 'TURKS'. Eventually, the fridge never got moved and the labels evolved into things such as TURK SANDWICH, TURK SODA, TURK WATER, TURK YOGURT and the list went on and on. Now, it was officially the Turks' refrigerator.

"Has anyone seen my gallon of punch labeled RENO'S PUNCH?" Reno asked as loud as he could to anyone that would answer.

"Why didn't you label it Turk Punch?" Rude asked loudly.

"I don't know." Reno answered.

"I haven't seen any punch." Rude yelled at him.

"What the hell? It's a huge ass plastic bottle of punch…it's blue? It says RENO'S PUNCH?" Reno said.

"Haven't seen it." Rude yelled back. Just then the elevator dinged and a woman with her arms very full came hurrying out.

"Excuse me! You! I'm looking for an….Elena? They told me to come to the 59th floor." The woman panted. She was obviously in a hurry.

" 'Lena! You in your office? Someone's out here looking for you." Reno yelled. He could have kindly taken this woman to Elena's office but that was entirely too much effort. Besides, he had punch to look for. Elena came out of her office.

"Hello…Elena? I'm so sorry. There's been an error in my calendar. I have to have your alterations finished today. I brought everything that you left with me. I'm sorry to bother you at your work but if you could just put your gown on for a bit I'll finish the alterations here today and send the gown home with you." The seamstress pleaded with Elena. Elena had a stack of papers in one hand and her cell phone in the other.

"Well um…hold on. Let me rearrange some things." Elena said heading for Tseng's office to unload this pile of papers. "My office is back there." Elena pointed the way for the seamstress. "Hey, sorry to bother you. There's a been a slight change of plans. I have a gown to try on. God, this is…embarrassing. I'll get back to this as soon as I can." Elena said. "The seamstress came rushing in here and says there's a problem in her schedule." She explained.

"Oh well…sure. Go ahead and do whatever she needs." Tseng told her.

"Okay, I'll get this over with as quickly as possible." Elena said rushing off.

"Miss Elena. This room isn't large enough for me to make the final pinnings. Just put it on and step out here." The seamstress said as she frantically shoved a bag and a shoe box into Elena's hands. Elena sighed and took the pile into her office to get changed. This was the last thing she wanted to be doing. She had work to do and this was just interfering. On the other hand, this was a very important dinner meeting and this was a 1500 gil gown…it sure as hell better fit. The seamstress threw a handful of supplies around her in the middle of the floor and slung a cloth tape measure around her neck. She waited impatiently for Elena to come out of her office. She finally emerged.

"I found my punch! It was on my desk the whole time!" Reno yelled from his office. No one seemed to really care. Elena walked over to where the seamstress was in the middle of the floor.

"Does it feel too loose anywhere?" the seamstress asked.

"Yeah, it doesn't feel tight enough all around here." Elena said tugging at the top of the gown.

"Check the part we altered at your hip. Is that hidden enough?" the seamstress asked.

"That is just perfect." Elena said smiling. The seamstress checked the altered length of the shortened train next as well as the length. "Hold still I'm going to start pinning." She said. Reno came out of his office with his punch and a glass. Je should have never tried to pour it while walking.

"Holy shit…" he said mostly to himself as he almost completely missed the glass spilling blue punch all over the carpet and his white shirt. "Oh! Damn it! God! Another shirt ruined. Rude! Rude…man…come here." Reno said.

"What did you do? Don't even tell me you spilt that stupid….wow." Rude took his glasses off for this one.

"Wh…why…why is Elena wearing a formal gown…in the middle of our floor…on a Wednesday?" Rude asked Reno.

"Somethin' to do with the dinner Friday." Reno answered.

"Reno you just spilt the rest of that stupid cup of punch down your shirt." Rude said.

"Oh my god….this shit is gonna staaaaain!" Reno sighed. "You got an extra shirt in your car?"

"Yeah, let me grab my keys and you can go get it." Rude said returning to his office. Reno followed him. After the seamstress had frantically pinned Elena in she stepped back to get a good look at her.

"How does that feel?" she asked Elena.

"Much better." Elena answered her.

"Elena all these files are…" Tseng didn't finish his sentence. He flinched horribly as he looked around the stack of files marked 'confidential' which in turn sent all of them into the floor in a miserable, jumbled mess. Papers had gone soaring everywhere.

"Hey! I don't know who just did what out there but be careful the blue punch!" Reno yelled.

"Is uh…is…is that the gown?" Tseng asked realizing it was the stupidest question ever.

"No, this is the gown I clean house in." Elena said laughing. "Yeah, this is it."

"So it's…uh…it's the gown for the dinner? It's…it's the gown for the dinner meeting…with… Rufus?" Tseng asked impulsively grabbing for his tie.

"Yeah? Are you okay? Oh my god…it's this gown isn't it! I knew I should have taken Cissnei with me to help! What's wrong with it?" Elena asked Tseng in a near panic herself.

"Oh….oh there's…there's nothing…nothing is…nothing is wrong…with it…at all…whatsoever." Tseng said realizing that he had to clean up this mess of papers but instead was frozen where he stood.

"So, it's okay for the dinner?" Elena asked. Thank goodness the elevator opened up spitting out Cissnei who had been making her rounds on the SOLDIER floor. She gasped the moment she was out of the elevator and ran over to Elena.

"Oh my god! The dress! Oooh my god it's amazing! I just can't believe it!" Cissnei said. She looked over at Tseng. "Tseng, what the hell are you doing? " Cissnei asked seeing him unsuccessfully try to scoop up papers from the floor. "Here I'll help you so she can finish getting stabbed with pins." Cissnei said getting on the floor with Tseng. "Are you sweating?" she asked him.

"No!" he answered quickly. The seamstress worked quickly; trying to finish up all the while Cissnei bitched at Tseng for spilling confidential SOLDIER files everywhere.

"Elena, you're coming over tonight to help me pack for Costa del Sol right?" Cissnei asked as she shoved stacks of paper together knowing that Tseng would have to sort them all again later.

"Yeah, I thought I was leaving with you today? That's why I didn't drive." Elena said as the seamstress shoved the last pins in her.

"Oh, yeah. That's right." Cissnei remembered.

"You're not packed yet?" Tseng questioned.

"Not even the slightest. That's why I need her help. You should see my apartment. I have stuff strung out from one end to another.

"You're only going for three days." Tseng reminded her.

"Helloooo! I need stuff for those three days!" Cissnei said scooping up the last of the papers and standing up to take them toward Tseng's office.

"Cissnei, I gotta go out of this thing. I'll meet you downstairs this afternoon." Elena said disappearing. "Hey, will you just leave this and everything else with the receptionist downstairs? Put my name on it and I'll pick it up at the end of the day." She instructed the seamstress.

"Certainly. I'll finish the alterations immediately. Again, I apologize for this inconvenience." The seamstress said packing all her things up haphazardly.

"Hey Tseng you wanna…are you sweating?" Reno asked Tseng as he saw Tseng rubbing his forehead with his fingers and fanning himself with a stack of SOLDIER papers.

"Are you covered in blue?" he asked Reno.

"Yeah, I haven't yet made it downstairs to get one of Rude's extra shirts. See, I was tryin' to pour my blue punch but then I saw Elena and was like holy shit and anyway…now I've ruined another white shirt. Anyway, you wanna go to lunch?" Reno asked.

"Yes, yes, yes…my god _please_ let's go to lunch." Tseng said. "Go tell Elena."

" 'Lena! You dressed? We're getting' ready to leave for lunch!" Reno yelled at her.

"I'll be there in just a minute!" Elena yelled back.

Later that day, Elena sat on the chest on the wall in front of Cissnei's bed. "You have so much stuff here. How do you even fit this many clothes into your closet?" She asked. It was only the second time Elena had been in Cissnei's one bedroom apartment over the hardware store below. It was small but it was quaint.

"I know. I have too much crap. I really need to get rid of some things. So, I haven't really gotten a chance to ask you…what did you think of Rufus?" Cissnei asked holding up two different outfits. "Which one?"

"The purple one. He was very polite…um…glad to meet me and…" Cissnei cut her off.

"Sexy as hell!" she added. Elena laughed at her.

"Well, he wasn't at all hard to look at, that's for sure. He's not _the_ sexiest man ever but my god he's close." Elena shared.

"Oh Elena, you're wrong. He _is_ the sexiest man alive. Who in the world could top him? Hold that thought. Go through this bag and make sure I put soap in it." Cissnei said. "So you seriously don't think Rufus is the absolute dreamiest man you've ever seen?"

"No…not quite. He's gorgeous…but not _that_ gorgeous." Elena said as she rummaged through Elena's bag.

"Then who is?" Cissnei questioned hanging some clothes back.

"Why do you have lubricant in this bag? You have lubricant but no soap?" Elena said. She never really answered the question.

"You never know when I might need that." Cissnei defended herself.

"I'm sure you'll need lubricant before soap." Elena said sarcastically.

"When you're busy walking down a hallway beating off photographers trying to snap a glimpse of Rufus Shinra's mystery date; I'll be soaking up the sun on the beaches of Costa del Sol. I _will _come back with a tan!" Cissnei promised.

"When are you coming back? I forget." Elena asked.

"Reno's dropping me off Friday and he's picking me up on Sunday. It will be nice to be dropped off in the chopper and not have to worry about airport clearances." Cissnei said. "But, since Reno is taking me there just has to be something I don't know yet about this little trip to Costa." She finished.


	6. Higher and Higher

"Neither of us were even born when this song was popular." Reno said laying on the couch. There was a haze looming in his apartment in spite of the fact that the fan he had put in the window was circulating the air as fast as it could. Rude laughed completely idiotically. That only made Reno laugh just as idiotically with him.

"You know what? You know what? You know...what? I don't give a shit. This song is...the best fuckin' song like...ever." Rude said as he took the lighter and the glass bong from Reno.

"Hey...oh wait...never mind. I'll wait till you take that hit." Reno said reaching out to grab the vodka bottle off the floor. He didn't even bother pouring it into a glass.

"Okay...man...what were you gonna ask me?" Rude wondered.

"Shit..." Reno pointed a finger in the air. "...man...I have no idea what I was going to ask you."

"What do you think Tseng's doin' tonight. Man, man...we should totally call him! Just to see what the hell he's doin'." Rude said. Reno laughed at him.

"Ooooh let's do it man! Let's...let's totally do it! I've totally never talked to him high before!" Reno was overly enthusiastic about this.

"Reno...we're high _and_ we're drunk." Rude reminded him. There was silence between them for a moment as Bob Marley serenaded softly in the background. The silence was broken by their stupid laughter. "Oh my god, high five man! High five right now!" Rude said getting out of his chair and moving over to where Reno was laying on the couch.

"Rude, Rude, Rude...you know what we need? We need...a secret handshake!" Reno said.

"Why the hell do we need that!" Rude wondered.

"Because we would be cool if we had one!" Reno insisted.

"How!" Rude questioned further. So much for calling Tseng high. It was probably good that they had both forgotten about that idea by now.

"I don't know! I just...I think that was the pot talkin'. Shit...Rude. I'm starving are you starving?" Reno asked sitting up entirely too quickly.

"Yeah, actually I am. I wasn't hungry until we started puffin' on this bong." Rude said.

"What do you want? I have so much stuff in here!" Reno said heading in to his small kitchen to look things over.

It was a perfect early-summer Saturday night. At least, it was a perfect night in Reno's apartment. Across town Tseng was laying across his couch in a similar fashion as Reno, long black hair falling loosely all over. The sounds of evening in Midgar filled his home as the blinds scraped slightly against the window pane in the late evening breeze. He was staring seemingly blankly at the Shinra Newspaper in front of him. He had been reading the headline over and over to himself. UNDERCOVER SHINRA EMPLOYEE HAILED A HERO. As many times as he had read the headline, he had read the story even more. The passage went:

Like a scene from the latest blockbuster hit, a murder attempt on Rufus Shinra was swiftly foiled by a fast acting undercover employee of The Shinra Electric Power Company. The murder attempt happened Friday while Rufus Shinra, President of the Shinra Electric Power Company was attending a business dinner with other business owners and CEOs from around the area. Details released are that a rival company president pulled a knife on Rufus Shinra but quickly surrendered when President Shinra's date, an employee of Shinra, pulled a .44 caliber handgun from her gown. On a lighter note, President Shinra could not have had a more beautiful accessory than his head-turning dinner date. Her style is described as immaculate and pristine. She and President Shinra appeared as if they were made for each other. Though his date, who remains unnamed, declined our request for an interview, is praised and accredited for intervening in a potentially fatal situation.

Tseng stared at the front page picture of Rufus and Elena. They truly looked beautiful together. He cursed whoever wrote this article and dared call Elena an 'accessory'. He picked up another paper that he had been staring at since Friday. It was a computer printout that had been left in the printer paper tray on the range. It was Elena's shooting accuracy with the .44 that Tseng had put in her hand a week earlier. She was shooting with an accuracy of 86.9. Had she needed to use that gun on Rufus's potential assailant…she wouldn't have missed. Tseng sighed and stood up, walking over to the open window beside the door. He wasn't sure what he was looking at, it was nearly dark; but his mind was racing. He went into his kitchen and pulled a bottle of whiskey out of a cabinet.

Seemingly half a world away, Cissnei was laying in a tropical paradise while the coastal breeze teased her skin. She had a Pina Colada in one hand her eyes glued on the SOLDIER beside her. She wasn't at all drunk nor would she be but her body was on fire and she now knew why she was at Costa del Sol. Cissnei was sent here to watch SOLDIER 1st Class Zack Fair. She would most certainly keep a close eye on him.

"Man…do you think we went overboard with the mozzarella cheese sticks or the two pizzas?" Reno asked.

"I think we went overboard with the pop-tarts." Rude said.

"The pop-tarts! That was the third thing we made!" Reno said filling a plate with the strangest variety possible. He and Rude should have never decided to cook while high. They had fixed garlic toast, microwave pancakes, pop-tarts, jalapeno poppers, onion rings, mozzarella cheese sticks and two pizzas. The worst part was that neither of them had stopped hitting the bong or the vodka bottle the entire time they were being master microwave chefs.

"Come on man, let's take this food back in there and hit that bong some more." Reno said.

"Oh my god, we never called Tseng! Let's call him!" Rude said.

"We can't! We're totally fucked up now. What would we say?" Reno asked laughing.

"Here…here…here…I'll do it. Oh my god, I'm gonna invite him over here with us…and see what he says." Rude asked giggling like an idiot as he dialed Tseng's number.

"Okay, I'm gonna hit this while you call him." Reno said.

"Tseeeeeeeeeeng! What are you doin'!" Rude said.

"Hi, what are _you_ doing?" Tseng asked clearly being able to tell that Rude was under the influence of something.

"Hey me and Reno…we're…we're doin' stuff. Seriously, what are you doing! You should come over here!" Rude said.

"I'm just layin' here on my couch with a glass of straight whiskey and kinda' starin' around. And that's alright, I think I'll just stay here. I can tell you two are obviously drinking or something." Tseng said.

"Why are you doing that! That sounds so boring!" Rude said.

"It's okay. It's quiet tonight." Tseng said.

"Hey, you know what you should do? You…you know what you should do? You should…you should…come get high with us!" Rude said.

"Oooh, so that's why you sound so fucked up." Tseng said.

"Are you there alone?" Rude asked loudly.

"Yeah…why?" Tseng asked. Reno yelled something at Rude.

"Reno says he thinks you should get a cat." Rude said.

"Reno's high!" Tseng reminded Rude.

"Man, I have no idea where you're goin' with this. I gotta go Tseng. Reno is about to spill shit everywhere." Rude said hanging up the phone. Tseng didn't immediately put his phone down. He flipped through his contacts and stopped. He stared at the glowing screen before him: ELENA. For a moment he thought about calling her but instead he threw the phone toward his feet and put one hand on his forehead and swallowed the rest of his whiskey. He didn't bother refilling his glass just yet. He just slunked backward into the pillows of the couch and let his mind run away from him.

"Tseng is so confusing sometimes." Rude said as he hung up the phone and prevented Reno from spilling an entire plate of pancakes in the floor.

"Rude…we need syrup for these pancakes." Reno said disregarding the statement. "I mean…we need lots and lots of syrup."

"Do you have any?" Rude asked.

"Man…I have no idea." Reno said. Rude laughed at him. "Hold on…I'm…I'm gonna like…check….and stuff." Reno said as he disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Hey….Reno…you think uh…you think Tseng has been acting weird these past few days?" Rude asked him.

"Oh my fuckin' god I have an entire bottle of syrup, Rude! Like…like how…weird?" Reno asked after making his syrup declaration.

"I don't know. He wouldn't come over here and get high with us…." Reno stopped Rude for a moment.

"Did you actually say Tseng come get high with us?" Reno asked returning from the kitchen and picking up the bong again.

"Yes! You heard me ask him! I don't know…I just…I just think he acts…what's that word…that word that means you have other stuff on your mind…or something?" Rude asked. Reno put the bong back on the table but was still holding his breath. Rude picked it up now that Reno was done. Reno opened up the full bottle of syrup as he exhaled thick smoke into the already cloudy atmosphere.

"I have no idea what word you're talkin' about…but look at this syrup!" Reno said. Rude watched Reno through heavy eyes as he inhaled this toxic perfume.

Across town, Elena had just returned to her apartment walked into her bedroom. She put her hand on her neck as she reached for her television remote. She didn't bother changing clothes right away. Instead she laid across her bed and stared at the TV. She rolled over and reached for the small black clutch bag that held her cell phone. She looked at the entry in her phone contacts: CISSNEI. She wondered whether to call her or text her. She decided to call. The phone rang a couple times but the voice that picked up wasn't Cissnei. "Hello?" Elena said. "Who is this? Oh, well is Cissnei there? O…okay…okay. Just…just tell her that Elena called. Okay thanks…bye." Elena hung up the phone. She stared at the floor and ran her hands over her own shoulders before the scent on her neck overtook her senses. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. As intoxicatingly alluring as this scent was that loomed all over her, she simply had to rid her body of it. She could feel it all over her, in her hair, on her neck, tangled in her dress…everywhere. She realized something as she stared at the TV. As consumed as she was by this scent…she didn't want it on her. She stood up from her bed and went to her bathroom to fill her bath with water. She simply wanted to lose herself in her thoughts while soaking in hot water. Her mind was about to outrun her. As the water filled the tub Elena returned to her bedroom to grab her phone. She quickly flipped through her contacts again and fixed her eyes on the last two entries wishing so much that Cissnei would call her back right now.

Back at Reno's apartment, he and Rude had finally put the bong aside for the night though anyone would get a contact high if they simply walked in to this place tonight. "Hey Reno…have you ever kissed a guy before?" Rude asked. Reno laughed.

"Have I ever…huh? No!" Reno said still laughing.

"I've always wanted to." Rude said.

"Seriously? You've always wanted to kiss a guy?" Reno asked flopping over and facing Rude.

"Yeah…for… a long time." Rude confessed. Reno blinked a couple times. He was thinking and when high Reno started thinking nothing good could come out of it.

"So…kiss me." Reno said shoving a nearly empty vodka bottle toward Rude. Rude took the bottle and looked at Reno for a moment.

"You dumb ass! You don't mean that!" Rude said laughing at Reno.

"Yes I am stupid! You just said you've always wanted to kiss a guy and I just told you to kiss me…dumb ass!" Reno said.

"Okay." Rude said moving from the chair he was in to the couch with Reno. Rude studied him with hazy eyes before pressing his lips into Reno's. It was a quick kiss…at first. It was quick until it happened a second time and escalated. Reno was sitting upright at this point but he felt dizzy and so he pulled Rude backwards with him. Reno hadn't expected Rude to use his tongue but he didn't stop Rude either. He just went with it, letting his hands rest on Rude's back.

Amidst the humid Costa del Sol night sky, Cissnei was panting mercilessly. Well, she wasn't exactly under the stars but the atmosphere was certainly hot. She could feel sweaty fingertips in her hair and an even hotter body against her. The vacation in Costa had been more than worth it.

Back in Midgar, it was 2:00 in the morning. Tseng was asleep on his couch in the same place where he had been earlier in the evening when he had opened up the whiskey bottle. The bottle was warm now with a little over one fourth of its contents gone. The window remained open and his lamp was still on. The silence in the room was broken by his phone ringing. He was far too asleep to realize it.


	7. My Mistake

It was a rainy Monday morning. "Go, 'Lena, go, go, go! Three more minutes! Give it all you got!" Reno cheered her on. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" She was running on the treadmill in the 27th floor conditioning center. This was part of the endurance test that the Turks had to take monthly. Elena had already done the free weights, leg press, dexterity test and was now doing her ten minute run in which the treadmill progressively got steeper and faster the longer she went. "One minute!" Reno announced. This was the hardest part of the entire ten minutes. While Reno was monitoring Elena's endurance test Rude was in Tseng's office and it was hard telling where Cissnei was. "Twenty seconds!" was Reno's final announcement. Elena counted it down in her mind.

"Rude, you okay?" Tseng asked him.

"Huh? Oh…yeah, yeah…I'm fine." Rude said rather quickly.

"Okay…you've just…been really quiet this morning." Tseng had observed.

"I'm just…kinda' tired. I didn't sleep well Sunday night. You know…how that goes." Rude said rather despondently.

"You made it!" Reno congratulated Elena. She was walking slowly on a flat incline now. She was sweating like crazy and she could hardly catch her breath. "I'll get ya some water, you keep walkin' it out." Reno instructed her. Elena stretched her arms behind her head in hopes it would help her regain her breath faster. She walked slower and slower as Reno shoved a plastic glass of water in her hand.

"Thanks." She said between breaths. Reno scribbled some information down on tablet as Elena eventually caught her breath and turned the treadmill off.

"Come on, let's head back upstairs. It's cooler up there than it is down here." Reno said.

"Well, I have to shower and get dressed first. Look at me!" Elena said throwing her arms out to her sides displaying her short gym shorts and her sports bra.

"Don't worry about it. Just come upstairs and cool off and then go shower and stuff. You'll feel better if you cool down a little more and it is so much cooler on our floor than it is down here." Reno said convincing Elena that this was a good idea.

"Alright, you're probably right." Elena said gathering up her things and following Reno to the elevator.

"Hey, you really did somethin' great protectin' Rufus the way you did." Elena said.

"I was only doing my job." She replied a little embarrassed by the fact that people had been acknowledging what had happened on Friday at the dinner. The elevator lunged upward to the Turks' floor once more. It made at least four stops in between. Once back on their floor Elena went directly to her office to let the cool air escaping the vents hit her. It felt good to sit down after the intensity of the endurance test.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Reno asked as he walked in to Tseng's office seeing Rude and Tseng hovering over a laptop with a stapled packet of papers.

"I'm trying to hack this laptop and Rude's reading off different codes to me. Where have you been?" Tseng asked.

"Monitoring 'Lena's endurance test. My god that girl is tight. I'm tellin' ya there ain't a part of her that's not perfectly toned and sculpted. I don't understand why she can't hang on to the chopper ropes in the simulated jump area 'cause she's just…she's solid. I'm mean…we're talkin'…" Tseng stopped Reno.

"I…think we get the idea." He said. As Elena sat in her office in the comfort of the cool air blowing from the register she noticed a think envelope on her desk. She looked at the front of it: ELENA. She examined the thick paper before opening up the envelope. Inside there was a handsome maroon and gold embossed Shinra cardstock card. She opened it up and gasped rather loudly at what was inside. The card read: THANKS FOR A JOB WELL DONE –RUFUS. Elena suddenly felt hot all over again as she quickly shoved the contents back into the envelope. She picked up a nearby stack of papers and began fanning herself. Her heart was beating fast as she sat there and the nearby lightning strike from the impending storm startled her. She turned and looked out the window to the gray and rainy backdrop that hung over Midgar. She could still feel her pulse racing over the contents of the envelope.

"Elena?" the voice startled her. She squeaked a little and turned around quickly in her chair.

"Did…did you…try to call me…on Saturday?" Tseng said looking at her. He had somehow gone from trying o hack a laptop to pulling his phone from his pocket and noticing her missed call from two nights prior.

"Oh um…yeah….yeah…yeah I…did…it was really late and I didn't really expect you to answer it was…see my phone it just…I meant to call…um…call the…shit its cold in here. Will you hand me my clothes?" Elena asked pointing to her pile frantically. She now suddenly felt her body turn ice cold and she never finished her sentence.

"Sure…of course." Tseng said handing over Elena's semi folded clothes. "I just…wondered about that so…I thought I would ask. Um…I'll get with you later today about some files we need to review together." Tseng reminded her.

"Yeah…yeah…okay. I'll stop by after I take a shower." Elena said. Tseng left her alone as she grabbed her phone and rushed off toward the showers after he was out of sight. She texted something to Cissnei before disappearing into the one of the locker facilities.

Once Elena had finally returned, clean and calm she was ready to go check in with Tseng about whatever project it was they needed to start together. She pulled on her tie as she made her way to his office. "Hey. Sorry that took me a little while."

"That's alright. Do me a favor and alphabetize those files back there on that table. That's at least a start." Tseng said. Elena walked past him to the table in front of the window where all the files were stacked.

"It's been raining like this all day. Makes the day drag on forever, that's for sure." Elena said peering out Tseng's window. He didn't say anything at first. The sound of him shuffling papers was muted by the rain hitting the glass.

"I hate days like this." he finally said. His tone was quite serious. Elena turned her head toward him. He hadn't even flinched when he said it as he slapped his signature on paper after paper. She just watched him for a moment wondering how the hell his hair was smoother and silkier than hers. It actually pissed here off a bit.

"Why's that?" she asked as she turned her back to the window. Thunder rumbled lowly in the distance. The distant storm was creeping closer. Tseng didn't answer. The sound of his pen scratching the paper was deafening in the silence between them. Elena picked up a file stamped confidential but she didn't take her eyes away from Tseng as his hypnotically looped the 'g' in his name repeatedly with each signature. Elena felt suddenly tense and she didn't know why. Was he acting weird because he had walked in on her stripped down to her workout clothes in a post-endurance test sweat-fest? She thought about opening this window to let the rain blow in...anything to break this intense silence.

"Her name was Tarahyn." Tseng finally said. He didn't elaborate, didn't turn around to face Elena, nothing. All he said was that her name was Tarahyn. Elena put the file folder back down on the desk beside her. She glanced over quickly at the monitors that watched over the sector five slums.

"Who's Tarahyn?" Elena asked.

"What is today?" Tseng asked. Elena looked over at the dry-erase calendar that covered nearly half the wall. It had stuff scribbled all over it.

"May 2nd." she answered.

"One year, fifteen days ago today...she left." Tseng said. Elena pulled the chair near Tseng's desk over much closer to him. So close in fact, he stopped signing the papers in front of him. Elena had a look of concern over her face, of course it may have been blended with her own worry that she had that had built up within her from the envelope she had found on her desk.

"What's wrong, Tseng?" she said. But it was her actions that paralyzed him. She had put her hand on top of his, taking the pen away from him. He felt hot all over and suddenly at a complete loss for words. "Tseng?" she repeated, taking her hand off his but keeping his pen. He was still looking at his hand.

"Tarahyn...lived with me when I was on the south side of sector eight. It had been four years. Then one day I uh...I came home and...everything of hers was gone." Tseng took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "It was a day just like today." he paused. Elena didn't say a thing. She was hung on every word. "I'll never forget the note she left. It was a post-it note on the table. I can't do this anymore. There's someone else. I'm sorry -Tarahyn….that's what it said." Tseng brought his eyes up to Elena's finally. "My entire world fell apart that day. I'm reminded of it nearly every time it rains like this." Hearing Tseng say all of this nearly made Elena want to cry. Tseng shook his head. "My god...why the hell am I telling you all this. Sorry, sorry." he tried to reach for another pen but Elena stopped him.

"No...no...it's okay." she said. "Maybe you need a new memory." Tseng looked at her very intently. He had never thought of it that way. Just then, Tseng's office phone rang snapping both he and Elena out of the intensity of that very moment. Tseng looked at the ID: RUFUS SHINRA. He answered it.

"Hello. Yeah, she's right here. Yeah...okay...I'll send her up." Tseng hung up the phone. "That uh...that was Rufus. He wants to see you." there was a certain degree of let-down in Tseng's voice.

"Oh...oh, okay. Sure...sure I'll...go right up." Elena said standing up rather nervously.

"Right, right, right...yes...yes don't keep him waiting on you." Tseng said standing up with her.

"I...I need the...the 70th floor keycard." Elena reminded him.

"Oh! Right...yeah and...I...I have that." Tseng said fumbling around to find it in his wallet. There were two people in the Shinra Company that had a keycard to the 70th floor: Rufus and Tseng. "Here it is." Tseng handed it over to Elena.

"Thanks...I'll be right back as soon as I'm done with him." she flicking it nervously against her fingertips. She didn't leave right away but instead just stood there for a moment. "Well I guess I should..." Elena smiled nervously and nodded toward the elevator.

"Yeah...you should go. Hey Elena...you and Rufus um...you looked beautiful in the paper." Tseng told her. Elena looked at the floor and shoved her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah...thanks." she tried to hide the fact that she was turning pink. She started to head toward the elevators but Tseng's voice stopped her.

"Elena...are you..." he stopped. "Never mind...it's not important." Tseng picked up his pen as the thunder rumbled again. Elena smiled nervously once more.

"Okay." she said softly before taking off for the elevator. Once inside it's doors, she let her head hit the back of it and she tugged on her tie. Great, she had just taken a shower and she was starting to sweat again. She swiped the card through the card reader: "Floor 70 access granted" the voice told her as the elevator rushed upwards. There was a ding but it wasn't Elena's stop. It was Cissnei getting out from another elevator onto the Turk's floor. "Oh my god! You guys gotta check out what I have! Fresh off the SOLDIER floor!" she yelled as she pranced her way toward Rude's office. "For you!" she said shoving a plastic plate in front of Rude. She had a very full tray in her hands.

"Is that...peanut butter pie?" he asked examining the plate.

"It is...among other things." she said.

"Whoa..." Rude said clearly looking more than thrilled with what Cissnei had given him.

"Go ahead, you can say oooh Cissnei what a cool bitch you are." She said. Rude just laughed at her. "Is Reno over there?"

"He should be but how would I know! I'm not with him all the time or anything!" Rude said a bit defensively.

"I'll go check." Cissnei made here way over to Reno's office with her tray. "Look what I have. Straight off the SOLDIER floor." she announced.

"Ooooh wow! Is that a sub sandwich! And peanut butter pie? Oh my god...barbecue cocktail sausages. Cissnei, I love you more than I've loved any other woman in my life." Reno said taking the plate from her. Cissnei laughed.

"Well, I uh...I do know how to please." she said jokingly. "This thing is getting heavy and I have to give this stupid tray back to Kunsel. Enjoy." Cissnei said taking off for Tseng's office next.

"Knock, knock...whoa...why the super serious look on your face?" Cissnei said sitting a plate on Tseng's desk. He sighed.

"I'm pretty sure I've made a terrible, terrible mistake." he said.

"Well, it's nothing that can't be fixed by food from the SOLDIER floor! Go ahead, say oooh Cissnei you are sooo getting promoted." She said. Tseng seemed to not pay attention to a word that she said.

"Is that pasta salad? And a sub? And barbecue cocktail sausages and peanut butter pie? He asked still not completely paying attention.

"And...and...breadsticks! And you wonder why I can't stay off the SOLDIER floor! See what I get when I go down!" Cissnei laughed. "Interpret that however you wish." she winked at Tseng. He just shook his head at her. "Do something for me...if uh...if Rufus needs anything this week or...whenever...you take care of it." Cissnei thought that was one of the strangest things Tseng had ever said to her.

"Um...okay? You gonna gimme the keycard so I can feel cool in the elevator?" Cissnei asked, all smiles.

"Yeah." Tseng looked at Cissnei's tray of food. There were still two plates left. "Is one of those for Elena?" he asked her.

"Yeah, she texted me about an hour ago and she wanted to talk to me. Besides, I haven't even gotten to congratulate her on the thing with Rufus since me and Reno got in so late Sunday night!" Cissnei said. Tseng was still staring at Cissnei's tray.

"Leave it here. I need to talk to her about a...a project we'll be starting soon. Oh, and Cissnei?" Tseng thought for a moment. "If I give you a large plastic container will you go take the rest of the pasta salad?" he asked her. Cissnei laughed.

"Hell yeah I will! I could probably swipe up the rest of the breadsticks too."

"Excellent." Tseng told her. She still thought the tone of his voice was a bit strange.

"I'll be back. By the way? What mistake did you make?" she asked.

"Oh, that...I sent the wrong person to do a job...and now I'm reaping the consequence." Tseng said.

"Well, don't worry about it too much. It's not like you pulled a Reno and went to three chopper pads before you picked me up at the right one this weekend." Cissnei explained, rolling her eyes at Reno. "Then on top of that he made me listen his stupid disco mix on the flight back. DO you know how annoying that was!"

"Believe me, I wish I would have pulled a Reno." Tseng said softly.

"Okay, I'm leaving now. I'll be back." Cissnei said disappearing.

Upstairs, Elena was about to leave Rufus's office. "Elena..." he began as put his hands on her neck."Don't worry. I understand. Just remember, I'll be here and you know where to get the key." he paused and smiled at her. "You are so beautiful. Don't you forget that." he kissed her before she even had a chance to react, leaving his unmistakable scent all over her. She trembled as her hands rested on his forearms. This was the biggest gamble she had ever taken and it reminded her of roulette.


	8. Winner Take All

"Come on! Apple-tinis!" Cissnei persuaded Elena.

"It's Monday!" Elena reminded her.

"So! It's not like we're gonna sit here and get trashed. Two apple-tinis a piece...okay maybe three!" Cissnei said. "You said you really had to talk to me in the text you sent me. And well, I need to talk to you too and what better way to do it than apple-tinis!" Cissnei insisted. Elena smiled and sighed. It was still a miserable Monday outside and the more Cissnei talked about apple-tinis the more Elena wanted to make them.

"Okay, fine." Elena said getting up off her couch to go search the kitchen for the shaker.

"Yessssss! So, what's up? What did you want to talk to me about so much?" Cissnei asked.

"You should go first, yours is probably more important anyway." Elena said sitting a couple bottles out on her kitchen counter.

"No, you go first. I think I may have reeeeeeeallly messed some stuff up so you go." Cissnei insisted.

"No, no...I did something... I did something really...I mean if he knew it wasn't...you go." Elena said as she turned around and got two glasses out of the cabinet above her head.

"Oooooh there's a he! Now you definitely have to go first!" Cissnei said moving toward the end of Elena's couch. Elena shook the hell out of the martini shaker as she thought a moment.

"Alright...alright I'll go first." Elena said now that she had stopped shaking and poured the first round of apple-tinis into the glasses. She came back over to the couch with Cissnei and handed a glass to her. Elena took a long drink before starting to talk. "You know how Friday...I went to the delegate dinner with Rufus..." Elena said. It was more of a statement rather than a question.

"Of course and by the way I wanna wear those 545 gil shoes. I hope you're a size 7 'cause they are beautiful!" Cissnei reminded Elena.

"Yes, yes you can wear them. Well, as you know I had to pull a gun to protect Rufus." Elena went on.

"Right." Cissnei answered.

"Something else happened." Elena said.

"What!" Cissnei waited in anticipation.

" I can't believe I'm saying this because I always hate it when people say something like this but...it just happened...before I knew it. He and I were leaving the dinner and there were reporters everywhere and cameras and...oh I hated it! It was just so much...attention! I um...I got into a limo with Rufus and I ended up in his four million gil penthouse apartment." Elena stopped there.

"Noooooo way! Oh my god, was it beautiful! I bet it was beautiful! I bet those shoes looked amazing on his marble entry...I heard he has a marble entry...does he have a marble entry?" Cissnei asked excitedly.

"Yes, he does." Elena sighed nervously and swallowed up the rest of her glass in one huge gulp. " I slept with Rufus, Cissnei...three times." Cissnei's eyes were wider than the martini glass in her hand.

"You...you what! You slept with Rufus! Oh my god you've done what I've always wanted to do! How was it! He is the sexiest man alive...you have got to tell me EVERYTHING!" Cissnei said shaking Elena's shoulders.

"There's more...there's a whole lot more." Elena told her nervously. Cissnei leaned in closer to Elena as she finished off her martini and reached to the shaker to see if there was anything left. "I...I faked it...all three times." Cissnei looked puzzled.

"You faked it? What do you mean you...oooooooh my god! You FAKED IT!" Cissnei practically screamed now that she finally realized what Elena was talking about. "You faked a climax with Rufus Shinra! My god Elena! IT'S RUFUS! Why would you even think about...IT'S RUFUS! Ooooh I need to make more drinks." Cissnei said getting up from the couch in a hurry.

"I was with him Friday night of course but then I went out with him again on Saturday and I have no idea why I did it because I hated all that attention from the media. Well, maybe I think I know why I went but...I didn't plan on sleeping with him on Saturday either...neither time...on Saturday. I just...did." Elena said not really answering Cissnei's question.

"Wait, wait, wait...you were with Rufus twice...on Saturday?" Cissnei asked.

"Yeah, I...called you when I got home but someone else answered your phone." Elena said.

"That stupid ass didn't tell me you called! That's another story. But for now continue with yours because I can't believe what I'm hearin'." Cissnei said. "Wait, are you _with_ Rufus? And you still haven't told me WHY the hell you faked it!"

"Have you ever played roulette, Cissnei?" Elena asked her.

"Huh? No, why?" Cissnei returned with another full shaker.

"Roulette is a game of chance...a gamble...loser takes a fall or winner takes all. You call the shots and you spin the wheel...but you never really know where that little white ball will land. Sometimes you may even think you already know where it will land...but it lands somewhere else. When it does...it hits you in the face so hard that you never saw it coming. All bets are off after the ball lands." Elena finished as she took her glass from Cissnei.

"What are you saying?" Cissnei was intrigued.

" I faked it...because there's someone else..." Elena said drinking a little faster now. Cissnei gasped.

"What do you mean there's someone else! You mean you're not in to Rufus the way he was in you! Elena, Elena...we're talking about Rufus Shinra! The man has all the sexy in the world and more money than he will ever know what to do with! Are you implying that Rufus wants something more with you?" Cissnei asked imperatively.

"Why are you whispering?" Elena asked her laughing.

"I don't know!" Cissnei yelled.

"Yes, that's what I'm implying and no I'm not in to Rufus the same way...and yes, yes...I faked it with Rufus because I knew if I didn't...I'd be moaning for _him_ and not Rufus." Elena's face was nearly white as she confessed that to Cissnei. She put a shaking hand over her mouth. Cissnei was completely engrossed.

"Who! Who! Who is it! Who could you possibly want to be underneath more than Rufus Shin..." Cissnei heard Elena answer but her voice was so soft that she thought surely to god she had misheard Elena. "What did you say?"

"Tseng...it's Tseng...there I said it...it's not Rufus...it's Tseng." Elena admitted. The shock and awe look on Cissnei's face could never be replicated. " Today, I found a card on my desk and it was from Rufus...it said thanks for a job well done...and there was a check in it for 15,000 Gil...I haven't cashed it. Later on, I was in Tseng's office and Rufus phoned that he wanted to see me. So I go up there and he asks me to go out with him again on Wednesday but I told him no...and I told him why. And before I left he said that he understood and that I always knew where to get the key...you know...implying that if I changed my mind." Elena took another long drink shoe Cissnei processed all of this.

"Let me see if I understand all this...you fucked Rufus...three times...but ya' didn't wanna be fuckin' Rufus because you were thinking about fuckin' Tseng the whole time you were fuckin' Rufus. Rufus gives you a massive check for whichever 'job' you did best…just kidding…I seriously think he gave you that for the job you were actually paid to do. Finally, he says me and my amazing body are all yours whenever you want it but I understand if you'd rather fuck my right hand man." Cissnei summarized.

"That's quite colorful and well put." Elena said.

"Wow...ww...wow...I can't top this one. Rufus wants you and you want Tseng...I wonder if Tseng wants you?" Cissnei pondered, she gasped. "Oooh my god! Now I understand the roulette thing! You spun the wheel...and he ball landed on Tseng even though it LOOKED like it was going to land on Rufus. Oh that's clever...clever analogy, I like that. Let me see the check." Cissnei said all smiles. Elena went to get the card from her purse.

"Daaaaaamn, he must loooove you. Look at that flawless handwriting. Oh, it even smells like him...that...glorious Rufus Shinra smell. God, I could get off on that alone. " Cissnei said sniffing the card stock.

"Believe me, I've been trying to get that scent off me for three days." Elena said but she couldn't help but laugh at Cissnei.

"Promise me that sometime later, you'll get really, really drunk with me and tell me in vivid detail about every part of his body you had a hold of." Cissnei pleaded with her. Elena laughed.

"Cissnei!"

"No! You have to promise me! God, I can't believe you want to actually go after Tseng over Rufus. Tseng hasn't even been on a date since...well since some big thing happened last year. He won't talk about it though, whatever it is he's only ever mentioned it to Rude since..." Elena stopped Cissnei.

"He talked to me about it...today actually." Elena said. Cissnei finished her glass and looked at Elena.

"Oh, Elena...this is one gamble you're gonna win. Tseng must want to fuck you bad if he actually opened up to you about the big thing that not even I know about...what is the big thing?" Cissnei asked.

"No, no we're not talking about that right now. It's time for you to talk." Elena insisted.

"God! Mine's boring compared to this! I slept with Zack Fair in Costa del Sol and then found out after the fact that the Ancient that Tseng watches all the time is his girlfriend. He never once mentioned he had a girlfriend. Best sex I ever had by the way. Now if Tseng finds out that I am the 'other woman' that broke the Ancient's heart...he's gonna kill me and then he's probably gonna go nuts on Zack as well. BUT, but, but, but...I did my job! I was supposed to watch Zack! And I did...I watched him get on top of me! I didn't mean to mess anything up...but I'm pretty sure I did. I'd never intentionally break another girl's heart, Elena." Cissnei was very sincere about that. "I mean, I sleep around...I won't deny that for a minute. But, I don't sleep around with _any_ guy who's already in a relationship. This happened, and he never said a word and I don't think it was on purpose. I think his one weakness just got the best of him and there we were in his hotel room makin' out before things got totally...naked." Cissnei said. "I went too far this time.

"Do you think she knows?" Elena asked.

"Probably. She's an Ancient. They have a way of knowing things. They have this power and they know things the rest of us can't sense. I don't know what I'm gonna do yet. Wait! I have an idea! You fuck Tseng…like…alllllll the time so that way he doesn't find out what I did. Yes! It's the perfect plan! You distract him…he doesn't kill me…I go confess to that Ancient…life goes on!" Cissnei said. Elena laughed.

"Well, Cissnei the biggest problem in your plan is that I'm not fucking him…" Elena sighed. "…I can't believe I'm going to say this out loud because this isn't really like me but…god I wish I was right now." Cissnei laughed.

"Oh my god, in the short time I've known you I've never heard you say something like that. You're so polite all the time and I just heard you say that you wished you were fuckin' Tseng right now. Good stuff…gooooood stuff I love it."

"I think you should make Zack tell the Ancient. Make him own it. I'm not sayin' you aren't a little bit to blame…but he didn't say anything to you…about her." Elena said.

"I'm kidding myself Elena. He kept talking about how he wanted to call Aerith…that's the Ancient. But…he never just said Aerith is my girlfriend. It's really my fault though. I should have read between the lines. I've gotta fix this more than he does." Cissnei admitted. "I'll figure something out…I just know it. As for you…it's like I told you Elena. At Shinra…you can own whatever you want. If you want Tseng…go after him. It's a gamble…but you're gonna win." Cissnei said.

"What makes you so sure of that? Elena said.

"Because he asked me to take care of anything Rufus wanted or needed…and that makes perfect sense to me now. He doesn't want you around Rufus. He wants you for himself." Cissnei laughed. "You bet the highest hands in the company Elena…and now it's time to fold." She clanged her glass into Elena's.


	9. A Table Half Empty

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Do you have any mouthwash?" Cissnei asked giving Elena's door a quick knock but letting herself in.

"Yeah it's…in the cabinet above my bathroom sink." Elena said.

"Great!" Cissnei said taking off for Elena's bathroom. Elena had a strange look on her face. She heard Cissnei turn the water on and walked back toward her.

"What have you been doing that makes you need mouthwash so urgently?" Elena asked her fastening a necklace around her neck. She followed Cissnei into her bedroom that connected to her bathroom. Cissnei spit in the sink and turned the water off. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.

"Angeal Hewley." She answered smiling all over. Elena's face hit her palm.

"Cissnei! It's 7:00 in the evening!" Elena scolded her.

"I know! I'm just getting warmed up. He was shockingly the absolute worst blow…" Elena cut her off as she hid her face in her hands.

"Stop…stop…my god please…stop talking. I thought you were gonna back off after this whole thing with Zack." Elena mumbled into her hands.

"Well, I _had_ to blow the mentor since I fucked the student! I can say I will never blow him again! No wonder he's single. Can I have some lipstick. Oooh I want this one." Cissnei said.

"That's fine go ahead…I'll just…burn that tube later." Elena mumbled.

"And by the way, I told you to wear something slutty!" Cissnei said.

"This _is_ slutty! Look how short it is!" Elena defended herself.

"Oooh yes. The middle of your thigh is sooooo slutty." Cissnei said rolling her eyes as she shoved Elena's lipstick into her purse. "Look at my dress, _this_….is short." Cissnei demonstrated. "Your dress is way classy and tasteful. Okay, where are those shoes?" Cissnei asked in anticipation. Elena smiled and pulled her extravagantly priced shoes out of the closet for Cissnei. It had been a long Friday and these two were headed for a night out to one of the local bars that was also a favorite hangout for many Shinra employees. It had become a favorite spot because of the Shinra employee discounts.

"Just so you know, I drank apple-tini's with you on Monday I am _not_ getting hammered tonight." Elena warned her.

"It's half-price shots. You have to do half-price shots with me and Kunsel. Kunsel will be there. He's always freakin' there." Cissnei said. "I'm ready. Let's go." And so they were off to Goblin's Bar in Sector Eight. It was actually a short train ride from where Elena lived. "Now, I know last Friday you were busy being underneath one of the finer things life has to offer but you'll have to come back down to earth this weekend." Cissnei told Elena.

"Hush…" Elena told her. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh sorry, you were on top weren't you? I bet you were on top. God! In either case you're so lucky." Cissnei persisted. "Okay, so tonight…I say we start with vodka shots." Cissnei announced.

"Fine but just like….you know three tops." Elena warned her as the boarded the train.

"Six." Cissnei argued.

"Okay, four." Elena insisted.

"Four and split a pitcher of daiquiris with me." Cissnei said. Elena sighed. There was no winning this.

"Fine." Elena gave in. "You mentioned Kunsel, have you slept with Kunsel too?" she asked out of nowhere.

"Are you kidding! He was like…the first one down there that I went down on!" Cissnei said.

"Thank you for practically screaming that throughout this train." Elena said. It was only two train stops to Goblin's Bar but finding a seat on the train was impossible. Elena and Cissnei had to squeeze themselves in toward the overhead bar to find a place to hang on until their stop arrived.

"Next stop, interior plate sector 8." The train's automated informant said. The train took off quickly and arrived at the next stop within three minutes. There were many people that exited the train at this stop but just as many more poured in. "Next stop outer plate sector 8." The automated system announced before the doors closed. From the outer plate stop, Cissnei and Elena would make their way down the stairs and toward Goblin's. The outer plate stop was a mere minute away. The stops were purposely so close together because of the residents who often got off the trains at the inner plate and the people who were headed for the sector eight attractions. The best part about sector eight was the fact that there was everything to do there. Once the train stopped, Cissnei and Elena filed out the doors quickly. Once down the staircase that lead to the sector eight fountain, they crossed the street in the midst of traffic toward Goblin's. There was a small crowd in front of the bar. It was likely an indicator as to how packed Goblin's would be tonight. Once inside, it was obvious that Goblin's was indeed the hot spot tonight. There wasn't even a table open that they could see, but that didn't matter. If Cissnei could find Kunsel, a table would be close by.

"My god, this place is…"Elena didn't get her sentence out.

"I know can you believe this crowd? Come on let's get to the bar. We have shots to do!" Cissnei said grabbing Elena's hand and wading through the crowd. Elena had never been to Goblin's before, in fact she had barely been in a bar since her days of working behind one. Cissnei on the other hand knew most of the bartenders that worked here. Once she and Elena had finally gotten a spot around the bar she had the first round of shots coming in no time. "Check it out! Okay, here's to the end of a hellish paperwork filled week!" Cissnei said raising her shot glass.

"You didn't tell me these were going to be double shots!" Elena said holding her shot glass up with Cissnei.

"Oops." Cissnei said smiling. And thus the first shot of the night was swallowed. There were three more double shots sitting on the bar counter behind them. Elena turned around and picked up the next one. "Yes! See, that's the way, Elena!" Cissnei said praising Elena for picking up the next one without bitching about the amount or something. "Oh! I see a table! You order a pitcher of daiquiris or something and I'm going to go get that table before it's gone." Cissnei said swallowing her last two shots like it was nobody's business.

"You swallowed that like water!" Elena said savoring her last on a bit more than what Cissnei had.

"Lots and lots of practice swallowing, Elena. Lots of practice." Cissnei said as she hurried over to the open table before someone else swooped it up. Elena shook her head and got the bartender's attention. She waited there for the pitcher.

"Hey, hey you!" a voice called to Elena. She turned around but didn't recognize who it was.

"I recognize you. SOLDIER, 2nd Class. You're a Turk aren't you? The one who saved Rufus Shinra from a sticky situation? Damn, you're cool. What are you drinkin'?" he asked her. Elena nervously shoved her hair behind her ear and stared at the bar counter.

"Oh, I'm…I'm waiting on a pitcher. You're SOLDIER, you probably know Cissnei. I'm here with her." Elena said.

"We love Cissnei and not just because she's smokin' fine either. Well, uh. Nice seein' ya. Oh and, you're not hard on the eyes either." He left Elena at the bar as she blushed all over. Thank goodness that pitcher was ready. She grabbed the pitcher and the two glasses that the bartender had left and pushed some money towards the bartender. She joined Cissnei and they noticed that the bar had actually cleared out a little now that they had a table. There must have been a late show or something that lured some of the crowd away.

"I just saw one of your SOLDIER friends over there." Elena said sitting across form Cissnei.

"Yeah? Who was it?" Cissnei asked.

"He didn't say, just SOLDIER 2nd Class." Elena said.

"I think you were right about me swallowing those shots too fast. I'm starting to feel 'em a little bit." Cissnei said. She and Elena sat there and worked on the pitcher. Kunsel eventually found them much to Cissnei's delight. She knew he would be here tonight. Elena could tell by the way Cissnei flirted with Kunsel and the way he flirted with her that indeed these two had been much more than mere SOLDIER Floor acquaintances. Kunsel didn't stay around too long, he had his own rounds to make tonight.

"Will you get mad at me if I go home with someone tonight?" Cissnei asked now that she and Elena were halfway through this pitcher.

"I won't get mad at you but…shouldn't you take a break? Remember Cissnei…two words: Zack Fair." Elena tried to bring Cissnei back to reality here for a minute.

"I know, I know, I know…you're right. I think I've been trying to convince myself that I didn't fuck _everything_ up. I honestly think I'm kinda' trying to sex my mistakes out of my system." Cissnei admitted. At least she was honest.

"You do realize that's what got you in to this mess." Elena reminded her.

"I know it did! Wish I coulda' been with Rufus instead. God, I wouldn't be here tonight. I'd be sipping champagne in black lingerie and watching Rufus take off his expensive mother-of-pearl inlaid watch." Cissnei said. Elena laughed at her.

"You really have that mapped out well." Elena told her.

"Honey, I have been thinking about…" Cissnei gasped. She didn't finish her sentence. "…oh my god…look what the summer air blew in here. How long has he been over there!" Cissnei said.

"What?" Elena looked around.

"Right there…" Cissnei pointed and Elena turned around in the direction she was pointing. Elena gasped.

"Noooo!" Elena said.

"Yes!" Cissnei said excitedly.

"No!" Elena shook her head.

"Yes!"

"Oh my god I've had four shots and a half pitcher of daiquiris!" Elena squeaked.

"Oooh yes you have!" Cissnei had a horrible smile over her face. "Go over there! Go over there and say, hey Tseng what's goin' on! So, you wanna have sex or what!"

"Let's talk about how I'm NOT gonna do that!" Elena said finishing off her daiquiri.

"What? The sex part or the going over there part? I wonder why he's here alone?" Cissnei wondered. Now that she had spotted Tseng she wanted to watch him. She watched him turnaround from the bar, his back to the counter. "He just caught sight of us. Just sit there, don't turn around!" Cissnei said like a junior high school girl. She continued to watch him, making sure not to make eye contact and give her mock aloofness away.

"What are you looking at now?" Elena asked.

"Your man. I don't understand why he's here alone. He usually goes out with Reno, or Rude…or Reno and Rude or worse…Rufus. He's with Rufus a lot. You better be glad he's not standing there with Rufus right now or you would have a hell of a problem on your hands." Cissnei said.

"Tell me about it…" Elena said pouring a half-glass of daiquiri. Cissnei watched as Tseng turned around toward the bar again. Cissnei looked at Elena. She sighed a bit and suddenly her eyes wandered in a different direction.

"I might be back…I just saw something I'm interested in." Cissnei said.

"Wait…what are you gonna go?" Elena asked with extreme skepticism in her voice.

"Nothing, I swear! He knows we're here….but he doesn't know that we know he's here. You wait…when I leave this table…he'll come over here." Cissnei said filling her glass with what was left in the pitcher before leaving an empty seat across from Elena. Cissnei only partially lied to Elena. Indeed she caught sight of a SOLDIER, but she had a stop to make before going for her own pursuits first.

"Hey." Cissnei said losing herself in the crowd and sneaking up behind her boss. She scratched her fingernails on Tseng's shoulder. He gave Cissnei a quick once over.

"You really shouldn't be wearing a dress like that. It sends the wrong message."Tseng reprimanded her.

"Oh and your stupid vertical striped gray shirt sends the _right_ message? God, Tseng you look like you're going to a freakin' job interview between that and your stupid black pants. Anway, Are you here alone? Where's your boy with the cash?" Cissnei asked as she watched Tseng. He didn't answer right away. He was looking over Cissnei. She looked in the direction he was looking. "You got your eye on somethin' boss. I'll give you fifty gil right now if you take your eyes off of her." Cissnei said with confidence.

"And if I can't?" Tseng asked knowing what Cissnei was referring to.

"Then you give me fifty gil 'cause I could use it." Cissnei said. Tseng didn't flinch. He jammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet without letting his eyes wander. He handed a bill over to Cissnei.

"Shit, that was easy. I shoulda' asked for a hundred. Look, let me tell you something Tseng. I know what you think…and she doesn't want Rufus. In fact…Tseng stopped her.

"You don't know that." He said.

"Shut up, I'm talking and believe me Tseng…I have information that you want to hear. Elena isn't with Rufus. She slept with him for reasons I have my own theory about. But…she wants you. She wants you bad. She wants you to fuck her the way Rufus couldn't. She can't get you out of her head…ever. When she was with Rufus she faked it because she knew she would scream your name if she didn't…that's right Tseng…you heard me . Elena faked it with Rufus Shinra because she was picturing you…the whole…time." Cissnei paused. Tseng's eyes were burning in to hers. "If this place had a back room…Elena would take you there and blow you. Believe me…she wants to get her hands all over you and she wants your hands all over her. You want her otherwise you wouldn't have told me to take care of Rufus from now on. I'm leaving her alone at that table over there. But I'm telling you Tseng, if you don't go over there and take her home with you…she _will_ settle for Rufus. She looks beautiful on his arm...or under him...and you know that. She doesn't want that…she wants _this_." Elena said running her hands down Tseng's arms. Whatever it is that you want with Elena you can have it. But you gotta go over there first. I don't know how long it's been since you've actually been with a woman but I have a feeling it's been a while." Cissnei paused again. "Here's your fifty gil back. You've been starin' at me for a good thirty seconds and my god I've never seen you this pale and colorless." Cissnei was getting ready to walk away. "Oh, here. This is 'cause I like you and I like Elena…and she deserves to have the real thing instead of a fake. No pressure, boss." Cissnei had discreetly shoved three condoms into his hand. One thing was certain about Cissnei, she always went everywhere prepared. "So are you going to say anything or are you going to keep staring at me like that? Because I am in hot pursuit of some hot SOLDIER.

"I think…I'm gonna need another drink." Tseng mumbled.

"Mmm…good! Go have it with Elena. Then take her back to your place and _really_ have it with her. "I gotta go. You know what to do." It was the last thing Cissnei said before disappearing for the rest of the night.


	10. Confessions

Reno was breathing heavily, there was sweat on his forehead and frankly he felt a bit powerless. It was always good when it was with a woman..._really_ good in fact; especially when it was with a woman who knew what she was doing. But Reno had forgotten what _this_ was like...with another man. He knew that he and Rude had gone too far. It's okay to make out when you were high as hell...but this? Well, both Reno and Rude we're stone sober. Rude had been acting rather despondent and removed all week and the only justifiable reason was that he had been thinking about going down on Reno all week. Rude looked at a helpless Reno underneath him. He didn't say anything, he just watched those wild blue eyes. Rude was Reno's best friend but Reno had lied about something.

"Rude...Rude I...I gotta tell you something." Reno laid his head back and waited until he actually caught his breath. Rude didn't say anything. He was waiting on Reno. "You remember...when we were high and you asked me...if I had ever kissed a guy?" he asked. The color had somewhat drained from his face.

"Yeah." Rude answered him.

"Man...I lied to you. I'm sorry I did that." Reno confessed. "Truth is man...I've had two boyfriends." Rude had his arms on either side of Reno. He was still watching him carefully.

"But...I've known every girl you've ever dated." Rude said trying to put these pieces together.

"Yeah well, Two of those 'girls' were actually guys...the two you never met. I didn't know what you'd think. Hell, I didn't know what I know now about you. What can I say, I like the best of both worlds." Reno laughed. Rude wasn't mad at him, in fact he was somewhat charmed. He kissed Reno; gently...rather passionately. Reno let his hands slide over bare skin. They would have to trade eventually.

* * *

"You used to bartend?" Tseng asked her rather surprised by this.

"Yeah. Right before I graduated high school I started. Down in Wall Market. That's where I worked."

"You know, working for Shinra is the only job I've ever had. I enrolled in the academy and after graduating I went straight to work for the Turks. Now, here we are ten years later." Tseng told her. Elena found herself tracing the rim of her glass.

"I never wanted to be a Turk." she admitted. The information came as quite the surprise.

"Then why did you apply?" he questioned.

"For once, I wanted to do something better than my sister. Just one time...I wanted my father especially, to be proud of me for graduating at the top and...being well-rounded in lots of areas instead of just one. I wanted to prove that I could be as perfect as she was...well...I'm still trying to prove it." Elena stared at the table. She didn't know why she had just told Tseng all that.

"What did your father think when he saw the papers? My god...you...you saved Rufus from a bad situation." Tseng said. Elena looked at Tseng more seriously than she had ever looked at him before.

"He said that no Tom- boy could possibly look elegant no matter how much her clothes cost." Elena could feel her lower lip tremble ever so slightly as she thought about the cruel words her father had said. She had tried to bury that conversation from earlier in the week but re-hashing the words only brought back the memory. Tseng couldn't imagine how any father could say such a thing to his own daughter.

"You know that's not true, right?" Tseng didn't know if that was the right thing to say, but he said it nonetheless.

"I want to believe it's not true...but...come on, you've seen my sister. I mean...she _is_ the pretty one. My dad is...at least a little right." Elena wasn't fishing for a compliment she was just telling it like it was.

"Forgive me for not professionally speaking but...you're the pretty one. Shit, Elena...you're...you're beautiful." Tseng never thought he would actually say that out...it sounded so much safer in his mind. Elena smiled slightly, and shoved her hair behind her ear. She was turning as pink as the dress she was wearing. There was a bit of an awkward silence but thank god Tseng received a text message at that moment. He shook his head. "Rufus just sent me a freakin' book. He knows I can't read that tiny print!" Tseng complained as he held his phone out as far away from him as he could. "Here, read this...I don't have my damn glasses." he said handing his phone over to Elena. She smiled a bit.

"You wear glasses?" she asked with a certain curiosity in her voice.

"Only in a pinch, like when Rufus sends me texts that are twenty-nine paragraphs long and when I can't read the fine print on Shinra Company forms." Tseng admitted. Elena bit her lower lip discreetly.

"Forgive me...for not professionally speaking...but..." Elena stopped. "...that's really sexy." her eyes could have cut right through Tseng at that very minute. "Okay, he says: Who in the city is the best electrician? I just blew a main breaker and my place is black. Building maintenance looked at it but I have some serious issues and he can't fix it. I want power back on tonight and am willing to pay whoever whatever it takes. By the way you should really try the new seafood place in sector three. It's simply delicious. I know how much you like a good steak and hands down it's the best I've had. Be sure to order it with the lobster and make sure they prepare it broiled. You and I should really go sometime. Okay, let me know about the electrician before I start rambling." Elena read it.

"Text him back and tell him I have no idea about an electrician. He needs to ask Rude. And also tell him he always rambles in every text he sends me." Tseng said. Elena laughed.

"You can't see the touch screen without your glasses either can you?" she asked.

"No, it's a muddy blur although sometimes I can manage if I hold the thing really far out in front of me. My god, Elena…I'm thirty and ridiculously near-sighted." He said. Elena just laughed and let her eyes soak him up.

"Here's your phone back." Elena said handing Tseng's phone over after she finished replying to Rufus. She purposely let her fingertips glide over the back of his wrist as she put it in his hand. She then became downright, bold. "You have soft hands." she said letting her fingers glide over his fingertips. He quickly put his phone away and in an even bolder move took Elena's hand in his. He ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"How did you manage to get a gun under your gown?" he asked her out of nowhere. He didn't take his hand off hers.

"Well, I had it altered. They cut the seam in the right side and hid the opening so well it didn't even look like the gown had been cut. I um…I'm kind of embarrassed to tell you this but I had that .45 strapped to the inside of my thigh…with the safety on of course. It was…well it got in the way half the night. Tseng was fascinated by this. Of course, if Elena had been talking about a head of lettuce he would have been fascinated.

"A .45 doesn't fit well underneath a dress, Elena." Tseng said. He had no idea why he told her that. It certainly wasn't the alcohol talking because he had barely had any.

"So….Tseng….boss…you shoot straight whiskey?" Elena asked with raised eyebrows. He hated the way she licked her teeth when she said boss.

"I can…why?" he asked her feeling suddenly nervous.

"Because, I haven't had the heart tell Cissnei that I don't drink Daiquiri's…normally. She's too sweet, you know? I just love 'er. "Since you're sitting here with me and all…wanna do a double shot?" Elena asked.

"Sure, why not….wait…are you telling me you're a whiskey drinker?" Tseng asked. Elena blushed.

"Yeah…I uh...I like the burn of it…what can I say." Elena laughed. "Shit…I have no idea why I told you that." She moved her glass around in a circle as she stared at the table. Tseng watched her hand carefully as if it were going to slip away from the feathery touch of his fingertips.

"I…I uh…I have a bottle at my place…please don't take that the wrong way." Tseng said letting his fingers dance over Elena's hand.

"Are you inviting me over?" Elena paused. "Please don't take that the wrong way." Once again, the look in her eyes could have burned a hole through Tseng.

"I am." He could feel sweat under his collar. He had never intended on being this bold but Cissnei's words were rolling over and over in his mind. The more Tseng thought about Rufus the more selfish he became. Rufus Shinra had it all…he wasn't going to get Elena. She laughed and leaned forward towards Tseng.

"Why the hell you look so serious?" Elena asked. It made Tseng smile. He squeezed her hand harder just to see what she would do. She tangled her fingers between his. It sent a very strong message and frankly Tseng wasn't ready for it. It was safe to hear Cissnei say 'oh by the way Elena wants you bad' but it was a deadly reality to have this beautiful bobbed blonde sitting across the table with her hand wrapped around his. Elena was sober enough to know exactly what she was doing and buzzed just enough to have the courage to do it. Tseng swallowed somewhat hard.

"Well, uh…you make me a little nervous." Tseng admitted.

"You do something very different to me…but I wouldn't be much of a lady if I told you what." Had Elena not already had a few buzz-worthy shots she would have never said that. Tseng felt his entire body catch fire.

"I already know you're quite the lady." Tseng stumbled over his words.

"Good, in that case I don't have to be on my best behavior." Elena smiled as Tseng pulled her by the hand off the high chair.

* * *

"You're sexy…I've never said that out loud…to another guy before…especially you." Rude said. His entire face was covered in sweat and he had the sheets beneath him clenched in his fists.

"You're just sayin' that 'cause you know where my mouth is." Reno said.

"You gotta stop…" Rude hissed through gritted teeth.

"No, I don't." Reno said before filling his mouth.

"But Reno, I…" Rude gritted his teeth harder.

"Sssshhh…." Was all Reno said as he resumed his dominance over Rude. Rude's typically intimidating demeanor was dissolved and in it's place was a desperate and pleaful slave. At this moment, he wanted Reno to be his master.

"This is beautiful." Elena said admiring an oil painting on the wall near Tseng's kitchen. "The brush strokes are so clear. Who painted it?" she asked. Elena hadn't noticed that Tseng was standing behind her until she felt gentle hands on her shoulders. His touch distracted her gaze from the painting before her.

"My great, great grandmother. It hung in her house until her daughter…who was my great grandmother, married. Then it went to her daughter…my grandmother. After that, my mother got it when she married. Finally, my mother gave it to me when I came to Midgar." Tseng explained.

"Wow…that's amazing. Why Leviathan?" Elena asked shifting her gaze back to the lustrous colors on its black background.

"I'm from Wutai. I'm supposedly blessed by Leviathan because I was the first boy born that lived into my family in about seventy-five years. So according to the mythology it was a sign…" Elena felt chills run through her body as she felt Tseng's breath on her ear. He laughed. "…I have no idea what the sign is supposed to be." Tseng slid his hands off her shoulders and stepped into his kitchen. "You really want this straight?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, oh….yeah." Elena said turning around to face Tseng. She watched him pour a bit of whiskey into a glass; swirling it around before handing it over to Elena. "You have a really nice place here." She said continuing to swirl it nervously while she waited for Tseng to join her.

"Thanks. I put around 8,000 gil in upgrades in this place last year. The granite, the marble…" Tseng stopped and looked up at the marble that graced his front door entrance. "Rufus insisted on the marble. He has a stunning marble entryway in his penthouse and he told me at least a dozen times Tseng, put marble at your front door, you'll love it…I still don't know if I like it. My god, it's so damn fancy." He sighed. "…then he's all oh Tseng, you really need a plant there. Tseng said. He shook his head. "I swear…he's the straight, gay interior designer I've always needed in my life." Elena laughed.

"The man does have amazing taste." Elena raised her eyebrows. She wondered if right now were a good time to admit to Tseng just how much she already knew about Rufus Shinra…she decided against it. She couldn't. Not now at least. She was glued to the sight of Tseng turning out the light in the kitchen and moving Elena to the couch with him. She had no idea that Tseng already knew about she and Rufus. The same window with the same blinds was open, letting the sounds of Midgar creep through just as they had done the night Tseng fell asleep in this very room.

"Well, your marble looks beautiful…here's to your marble." Elena said raising her glass to Tseng's as she anticipated the burn of the whiskey. Two shots would be two too many…they would stick to one for tonight.

* * *

"Should…should we get dressed?" Rude asked weakly as he pushed himself up on his elbows.

"Why should we?" Reno asked resting his chin on Rude's abdomen.

"Because man, we're laying here naked!" Rude said still trying to catch his breath. He was in a state of disarray over what he and Reno had just done.

"Rude, it's okay…everything is okay. Just relax." Reno reassured him. There was something calming in Reno's touch…it wasn't a lover's touch; it was a _friend's _touch.

"Reno…thanks." Rude said laying his head back and finally beginning to relax. Reno laughed.

"For what?" he asked.

"For not freakin' out." Rude said, he thought Reno looked amazing as he laid there over him. Reno laughed.

"So we made out a little…and went a little further than that. Seriously, man…it's not a big deal."

"It's a huge deal to me…no one else knows…about me, I mean. No one knows, Reno." Rude was seemingly still trying to come to grips with things himself.

"I'm glad you told me. If you hadn't there's no way in hell you and I would be laying here naked like this."

"So, um…now would probably be a really poor time to tell you about the guy I've been talkin' to. It's nothing serious at all but…I've never talked about him to anyone." Rude admitted.

"I'm all ears, man." Reno said.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Tseng. No one should ever have to go through that." Elena wasn't even thinking. She leaned her head back on Tseng's shoulder. He didn't at all mind but it made him a nervous wreck. For a moment, he considered picking up the whiskey bottle and taking the biggest swig possible of it. But Tseng knew that would be an incredibly stupid idea.

"Yeah well…all that money made for a nice down payment on this place. Of course, it was going to make a beautiful engagement ring too. I started saving for it after our second year together. Things got a little rocky at the end of the third year and…well everything fell apart by the end of the fourth year. "What about you? Have you ever made a mistake like that?" Tseng looked at the top of her head. Elena lifted her head and turned to face him.

"I slept with Rufus…more than once." Elena admitted. She feared what Tseng would say, how he would react. But she had to tell him. She could have sworn he was leaning in closer to her.

"I've known Rufus for a while and in that time…I've never heard a woman say it was a mistake sleeping with him. What makes you so different?" Tseng asked her. Elena was sure he was leaning in much closer to her now; so close in fact that she could see his eyelashes.

"B…be…because…" Elena breathed a little nervously. She could feel her body getting hotter as Tseng's scent invaded her senses. She was breathing a little heavier because the truth was about to escape her lips. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "…because I was thinking of you the whole time I was with him." There wasn't a single second to react. In the next instant, Elena's lips were on his and in an ever faster motion she was being swept across Tseng's lap with his arms around her.


	11. I'm Searchin' for a Real Love Part One

Reno looked around the hallway suspiciously. He slipped into Cissnei's office quickly and closed the door behind him just as fast. "What's up with you?" she asked throwing her pen aside. Reno was still looking around as if someone were watching him.

"Tseng slept with Elena." Reno whispered.

"Well, well…imagine that." Cissnei answered nonchalantly. "Wait…how did you know that?"

"How did...how did you…ooooh are you responsible for this?" Reno asked.

"No! I merely baited the hook. Now, how do you know that Tseng slept with Elena?" Cissnei demanded.

"From this text message!" Reno pulled Tseng's phone out of his pocket.

"Oh my god! You took Tseng's phone!" Cissnei observed.

"He's with Rufus! He'll be up there for at least an hour! Listen. Tseng sent this text on Saturday afternoon: I want you to know that you make me more nervous than any other woman has before. You settle a man's nerves like no other woman too. I'll call you later and we'll talk about Sunday." Reno showed Tseng's phone to Cissnei. "But wait, wait, wait…look at this text that he received: Sorry, I heard my phone ringing but I'm in the shower. Will call you as soon as I'm out." Reno showed that message to Cissnei. "Look at this one…this one's hot. I've never heard Tseng say…well type…anything like this!" Reno showed Tseng's phone to Cissnei again: I wish I were there with you. "Is that like….the dirtiest thing Tseng has ever said in his life or what!" Reno asked with wide blue eyes.

"Whoa…what has happened to my straight-laced boss who goes by the three-month rule…well until he met Elena that is." Cissnei laughed. "Forget that three month rule! Baby, I'm fuckin' her NOW!"

"Look at the text Elena messaged him back: I wish you were too." Reno said. "Hey, you're right…Tseng is a firm believer in the three month rule. Hell, I have the third date rule and Tseng thinks that's ridiculous. And shit…you have the thirty minute rule. So, why do you think he broke his own rule?" Reno asked.

"There are a few reasons I think. One, he hasn't been laid in over a year. I bet you it lasted thirty seconds. I'll ask Elena later. Two, Tseng had competition for Elena. Listen to this…Elena slept with Rufus, Rufus wants Elena…Elena didn't want Rufus…she wanted Tseng. Tseng wanted her and neither of them knew about the other. That...my friend is precisely why Tseng broke his own rule. He couldn't lose out to Rufus." Cissnei explained.

"Wait….wait…Elena slept with Rufus? She…she picked Tseng over Rufus Shinra? What the hell is wrong with her! It's….it's RUFUS! He's made of money and constantly oozes suave. And the way he always smells….it's so…damn it…what the hell is wrong with 'Lena!" Reno asked as he moved his chair closer to Cissnei.

"That's…that's what I said! That's what I said!" Cissnei exclaimed excitedly as she pointed a finger at Reno.

"My god….today is one cool work day. Tseng's fuckin' Elena…Elena fucked Rufus…Damn…I wonder how awkward it is right now between Rufus and Tseng. Can you imagine that? Two of the most powerful men in Shin-Ra…furthermore…two men who have worked closely together for a while now…both of them…havin' a piece of the same woman. Damn." Reno shook his head and slumped back in the chair. "Why would anyone wait three months to have sex someone? That must be somethin' they preach in Wutai because I ain't met no one from Midgar that waits that long." Reno said kind of out of nowhere.

"Probably." Cissnei nor Reno said anything for a moment. She picked her pen up once more and it was obvious she was thinking about something. "Oh my god…Tseng _is_ from Wutai. You know what…I've always heard…that Wutai men are the most sensual of lovers. Somethin' to do with Leviathan and…taming the flame…and…somethin' else. Hell, I don't understand Wutaiian mythology. I'm just sayin'…I wonder if what they say is true?" Cissnei asked. Reno raised his eyesbrows.

"We call him boss for a reason. Only one way to find out the answer to that." Reno gasped as Tseng's phone made a sound. "OH! Another text…let's read it!" Reno said. Cissnei leaned over, practically falling out of her chair in her attempts to see the screen.

"Well, that's boring as hell! It's just a stupid bank statement reminder! Wait…look at it and see how much money he keeps in his checking!" Cissnei said utterly disappointed but then suddenly rethinking this message.

"Cissnei!" Reno scolded her.

"You're right…we don't know his online banking password. At least it was the thought that counts." Cissnei said. Just then the elevator doors flew open.

"Oh my god! Who the hell is that!" Reno asked a bit terrified. Elena looked out the glass in her door.

"It's Elena! Ooooh, I'll be back! Stay here!" Cissnei said rushing out the door. Elena was preoccupied with the stack of papers in her hand so this gave Cissnei a clear opportunity to sneak up behind her and grab her by the collar. Elena shrieked a little and nearly dropped the papers everywhere.

"Cissnei!" She practically shouted.

"Ssssshhhhhh!" Cissnei said dragging her toward her office. She slammed the door closed as she threw Elena inside.

"Can't you see I'm…" Reno stopped Elena.

"Heeeeeeeeey 'Lena." Reno winked at her.

"Oh my god, what does he know!" Elena insisted with wide eyes.

"Nothing! Nothing! Okay…he knows." Cissnei said grabbing Elena's arm.

"Oh Cissnei!" Elena started.

"No, no, no! All we want to know is how it was. And you can't be biased!" Cissnei said.

"We're talkin' out of every guy you've fucked Elena where does…" Elena cut Reno off.

"Oh I am not talking about…" Reno cut her off.

"We have to know! Please Elena! You know I'd ask you anyway! Please tell us….how was it…with Tseng?" Cissnei begged her.

"I'm prepared to offer you this piece of gum and this piece of string." Reno said reaching in to his pockets. "Come on, 'Lena! We go gotta know! None of us have ever fucked Tseng before! We won't say a word!" Elena stared at both Reno and Cissnei without saying a word. She tugged on her tie with her hands still full and cleared her throat.

"Fine…fine if you uh…if you must know it uh…it was…." Elena sighed deeply and breathlessly and fell up against the wall behind her. "…it was the hottest, deepest…most….intensely passionate…hard and raw and…" Reno cut her off.

"Stop….stop my poor mind can't handle that much hotness this early." Reno said throwing a hand up at Elena.

"Well, you asked for it!" Elena said.

"Wooooooow." Cissnei said as she hung on every word.

"Now if you two don't mind I have work to…" Reno interrupted Elena.

"This isn't over 'Lena…you're coming to lunch with me and Cissnei today and we're gonna…you know…find out more stuff. I have at least fourteen questions about Rufus!" Reno said.

"Oh my god! You know about that too! To think…I thought I talked too much." Elena rolled her eyes and left Cissnei's office. She was obviously busy with something and this interruption was one interruption too much.

"You seriously have fourteen questions about Rufus?" Cissnei asked Reno.

"Nah, just seven…but I'll think of seven more by lunch time today." Reno said standing up. The elevator chimed again and Elena disappeared. "I gotta get moving. I have three choppers panels to inspect today. It'll take me forever to get through the inspection checksheet." Reno turned his back to Cissnei. "Hey uh…Cissnei?" Reno began.

"Hmm?" she answered him. Reno shook his head.

"Nevermind…I'll uh…I'll talk to you later." Reno said before he left. Just as Reno left Rude came busting out of the elevator panting and a bit colorless. "Oh my god! Rude! Man, you okay?" Reno asked him. Rude pulled his dark glasses off as he grabbed Reno by the sleeve and pulled him over to Cissnei's office. Rude struggled to catch his breath.

"Tseng…Tseng is…Tseng is so fuckin' pissed. I mean he's…he's soooo pissed. Cissnei…you better run, girl." Rude said. Cissnei swallowed hard.

"This uh…this doesn't have anything to do with…uh…Zack…Fair….does it?" Cissnei bit her lip.

"He's either gonna kill you or Zack or maybe both. Rufus has him about twenty percent calmed down…but that was only because Rufus gave Tseng a cell phone to throw." Rude panted.

"I know what would calm him down the other eighty percent…and she ain't here." Reno said.

"Huh?" Rude questioned as he slumped over in Cissnei's doorway.

"I'm gettin' outta here. There is gonna be some serious yell…no…screamin' goin' on an' I can't handle Tseng when he gets that outta' control." Reno said scurrying off for the stairwell. Rude shook his head. He had finally regained his breath.

"Reno's right. I'm gonna go to my office and act like I'm doing something. I'll be there for backup." Rude said. The elevator doors were barely open.

"CISSNEI!" Tseng yelled at her.

"Oh shit…" Rude looked at Cissnei and took off.

"Oh shit…" she said right after him. A handful of files went flying through the hall as Tseng practically ran to Cissnei's office.

"What the hell did you do Cissnei! What the HELL did you do!" Tseng screamed at her. This was bad…the tie was undone and god only knew where his jacket had ended up. Cissnei didn't say anything for a moment. She just sat there at her desk completely mortified.

"I can explain everything…" she finally said. It was completely unconvincing.

"You were sent there to WATCH HIM! To WATCH HIM CISSNEI! NOT FUCK HIM! Do you have any damn clue what the hell you've done!" Tseng hadn't lowered his voice at all.

"Look, he didn't say anything about her, okay! It happened! Yes, I fucked him! It happened and I found out about the Ancient AFTER it happened! I can…" Tseng cut her off.

"OF COURSE HE WOULDN'T SAY ANYTHING! WHY THE HELL WOULD HE SAY SOMETHING! HE'S EXACTLY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOWN THERE ON FLOOR 49!"

"I can fix this I just need a little…" Tseng cut Cissnei off again.

"You…you can't fix this. The fuckin' damage is done Cissnei. Here's the line and you crossed it without so much as looking back in the rearview mirror! You…you broke her heart." Tseng said through gritted teeth.

"I may have but so did he! So did he, Tseng. He should've said something BEFORE we got naked!" Cissnei stood.

"No! No! NO! YOU should have kept your damn clothes ON Cissnei! You think that just because they all bow at your feet on the SOLDIER floor that you can have any of 'em you want." Tseng told her.

"I can and I do and this is not ENTIRELY my fault, Tseng. Besides, I did my job didn't I? I told you! I'll fix this! I'll go to the fuckin' slums and…" Tseng cut her off again.

"No, you won't go to the slums! You think you can just stroll into her life and wreck it all to hell and then by APOLOGIZING for fuckin' her boyfriend you can make it all okay? Is that it, Cissnei? Is that how you think this works? SHE'S AN ANCIENT FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

"If you're so fuckin' protective of her…if you watch her so damn closely then why the hell did you let her get involved with Zack Fair in the first place?" Cissnei demanded.

"It was already out of my hands, Cissnei and you know that! It was out of my control. I would have never let him set eyes on her had it been up to me!" Tseng said pointing a finger at Cissnei. "But that is not the point here. The point is…you messed up…you messed up big time. You slept around one too many this time around."

"I know I messed up okay! I'M NOT DENYING THAT TSENG! I fucked the wrong SOLDIER this time! BUT WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT NOW! You tell me not to go to the slums…so what! WHAT TSENG? WHAT NOW? And what about Zack? Does he just got off easy on this one?" Cissnei demanded.

"First, I've already dealt with Zack Fair secondly, I'll tell you what I want you to do…I want you to tell me why the hell you can't keep your god damn legs closed to SOLDIER for more than thirty fuckin' seconds!" Tseng yelled at her.

"Because! SOLDIER loves me! SOLDIER wants me! When I'm down there I am number fuckin' one! SOLDIER…" Tseng stopped her.

"Oh my god Cissnei! How stupid can you be! They don't _love_ you! Not Kunsel, not Luxiere, not Sebastian, not Enassi, not Zack….no one! THEY LOVE YOU FOR TWENTY MINUTES! TWENTY MINUTES CISSNEI! And then they're fuckin' done with you! The only love you know…the ONLY….love you know….is the kind you wash off in the shower the next morning!" Tseng was actually shaking a little. Cissnei didn't say anything. Her expression strangely changed.

"Shut up…" she choked out. Tseng shook his head.

"You say that because you know I'm right. How many damn SOLDIER have ever…EVER given you the time of day when you're not underneath them? Huh? How many have ever offered to call you and spend some time with you? Huh? Any of 'em ever offer to fix you lunch or…god forbid…have a meaningful conversation with you? How…" Cissnei cut him off this time.

"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP! SHUT UP!" Tears were pouring from her eyes. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE! YOU HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT IT'S LIKE! You and your….pretty little comfortable Wutai childhood where you had a MOTHER and a FATHER who actually gave a shit about you! I HAD NO ONE! NO ONE! MY PARENTS DIDN'T EVEN FUCKIN' WANT ME! Nobody ever paid me a damn bit of attention until I came here. I've had so many men want to care about me until…" Tseng stopped her. He wasn't yelling at her anymore. He put his hands on her shoulders.

"Cissnei, all the men in the world…are never going to be the daddy you never had. You're lookin' in all the wrong places for something you'll never find." He told her. She shook her head.

"I know what I'm good at…and what I'm good at…gets me loved…if even for a little while." She sniffed and sniffed. Tseng shook his head again.

"You're wrong….you're so wrong….you're so, so wrong. Look at me…look at me…look at me." Tseng put his hands on her neck and moved her chin toward him. "You…have so much to give. But you throw it all away for thirty seconds of feeling loved. You are so good at everything you do. My god Cissnei, you graduated at the top of your academy class. You're nineteen years old! No one your age has accomplished as much as you have in this company. You should be so proud of yourself." Tseng lectured her. She was weeping a little harder.

"I don't wanna be proud…I wanna be loved." She confessed.

"Cissnei…if you'd just close your legs and open your eyes you'd realize how much _we _love you. We love you so much Cissnei…and none of us…are tryin' to sleep with you. Even if it doesn't seem that way…we love you so much. Rude, Reno, Elena…me….we'd never let anything happen to you. The 49th floor will never give you real love Cissnei…call it whatever you wanna call it…just don't call it love. You've gotta stop…you've just gotta stop." Tseng said still holding on to her. "We love you Cissnei…we love you…we love you." Cissnei was crying much harder now as she reached her arms around Tseng and wailed into his shoulder. He put his arms around her and just let her cry. Cissnei hated it when Tseng was right and she really, really hated it that he was more than right this time. Rude slipped out of his office to see why things had gotten so quiet. He walked gingerly down the hall towards Tseng's office only to see that he wasn't there. This only prompted him to move toward Cissnei's office. Tseng caught sight of Rude and motioned him in to Cissnei's office with a head nod. Rude had no clue what was going on. "Listen, I'm gonna give you to Rude now. I need to pick up the papers I threw everywhere. He's not gonna leave you…he's right here." Tseng promised her as he spun her around and pushed her in to Rude. Tseng had to get moving, he had a lot of work to do and the truth was he had lunch to have with Elena. Reno and Cissnei thought they could claim her but little did they know that Elena already had plans with Tseng.

"Cissnei? I'm not completely sure why you're cryin' 'cause I couldn't hear anything when Tseng actually lowered his voice but…it's okay…it's gonna be okay." Rude promised her.


	12. Above the Clouds

"This is hot...it's just like watching a porno with none of the sex and all of the tension build-up." Rude said. Tseng was clicking his pen a hundred miles a minute. He looked over at Rude.

"Somehow, you're exactly right...but I have no idea how you're so right about that." Tseng answered him.

"Bet you're dyin' to plow that right now." Rude said.

"You have no idea." Tseng answered him again. So how did Rude find out about Tseng and Elena? Simple. Reno. Reno couldn't keep his mouth shut for twenty seconds about it.

"Why did you want her to do this interrogation? You're the best interrogator I know." Rude said.

"Elena is an excellent talker. Sure sometimes she talks too much but in times like this she is invaluable. She has milked more information from this guy than I ever could have." he explained as he scribbled some notes down on a legal pad. Rude and Tseng had been watching Elena pick this guy apart for well over an hour. There was a certain sexiness to her as she sat there with her blazer and her bulletproof vest unzipped; a .45 caliber handgun in plain site, yet tucked away enough to indicate she might reach for it and she might not. She looked comfortable the way she had here arms hung over the back of the chair and her feet on the edge of the table. It was all part of her game to break this guy down a little farther. She used words and phrases Tseng would have never thought of using...but that was the key difference in using a female interrogator. Perhaps most amazing of all was the way Elena never let her eyes faulter once from the suspect across from her. She didn't want to lead him on that Rude and Tseng were watching and listening to the whole thing behind the two-way wall.

"Oh my god...now she's talkin' dirty to him! Wait...wait...why's she goin' for the gun? You think we should bust in?" Rude asked.

"Hell no. Rude, Elena's most recent print-outs from the range indicate that her accuracy has surpassed even mine. If she needs to use that gun, she sure as hell won't miss. She knows what she's doin'." Tseng leaned forward in his chair to watch as Elena mercilessly flipped the safety on and off. The suspect had no idea that her gun had a live clip in it.

"Did...did she seriously say what I think she just said?" Rude asked.

"She sure did." Tseng said. Whatever it was, it must have been good because Tseng tugged on his tie; pulling it loose as quickly as he could.

"She's so close to getting the info we need." Rude said.

"She'll get it. We'll have a MAKO reactor there in no time. What time is it?" Tseng asked not taking his eyes off Elena.

"11:57. My god, you're sweating? It's freezing in here!" Rude said.

"She makes me do a whole lot more than sweat, Rude." Tseng admitted as he scribbled something else on his tablet.

"He's about to crack. Look at him! Look how nervous he is the closer she leans in to him! My god! It's like she's done this a hundred times before! Here it comes Tseng get ready, get ready!" Rude was practically standing up and Tseng found him unbuttoning the first two buttons on his shirt. He and Rude could hear Elena cock the trigger on her gun as if to send a final message to the suspect across from her. She was completely leaned over the table, the barrel of her .45 pointing in the air near her head and her eyes practically ripping through the man before her. It was complete silence in the interrogation room. Tseng could have sworn the pounding of his own heart could be heard in there.

"Holy shit it's so quiet." Rude muttered under his breath as he practically stood up out of his chair. They watched as Elena tilted the barrel of her gun toward the suspect; but it was so painfully slow that it made the suspect nearly lose his mind. Once the barrel of the .45 was pressing against his head the eerie and deep silence was broken by his screaming. Elena quickly backed away from him and let the information flow. He was so rattled he didn't even see her disarm her gun to make it safe to tuck away once more. "Yes! Yes! She got! She got it, boss! She...oh my god! Tseng!" Rude picked up a nearby file folder and fanned him incessantly. He had slumped back in his leather chair like a lifeless blob. "You okay? You didn't pass out did you? Can you believe what he just said!" Rude continued to fan Tseng off.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...my god that was...shit...yes! Yes! She got it! I can't believe he was hiding all that! Wow...Ooooh wow...my god..." Tseng finally sat up and regained his composure though Rude wasn't exactly sure what had just happened to his superior. Tseng looked at the clock: 12:20.

"You gonna be alright? I mean you're sweatin' like...like nothin' else, man." Rude said. The sound of a buzzer was a signal for The two waiting SOLDIER operatives to take the now somewhat delirious suspect away. It was also a signal for the covering over the two way wall to be raised. Elena could see Rude and Tseng now.

"I hope to god you all remembered to press record." she said taking her blazer off so she could remove her bulletproof vest completely.

"We did. And that was brilliant. Tell your man you wanna go somewhere nice for lunch." Rude insisted flipping the switch that unlocked the interrogation room. She laughed and pushed her chair in before heading over to the door that lead to the hallway behind the observation room.

"I'm so sorry Rude it's just...wow...I've never seen anything like that." Tseng said putting his tie back on. "We definitely need to go somewhere nice for lunch. Hell, after that we may not even come back in to this building. Come on, let's gather things up here. Elena will be here in a minute." Tseng said shoving the legal pad into a briefcase.

* * *

"I can't believe we left everyone else! What if they wanted to come to lunch with us!" Reno demanded of Cissnei.

"Stupid! Rude and Tseng have been watching Elena do an interrogation and god only knows when they'll be done! We had to leave them!" she insisted. " Will you split an appetizer with me?" Cissnei asked.

"Hell yeah I will!" Reno agreed.

"Great, what do you want?" she wondered.

"Anything that is not fried pickles." Reno told her not taking his eyes off the menu.

"Fine, let's just get the stupid sampler thing because I can't decide and I'm so hungry I could just die." Cissnei said.

"So how did all the Tseng screaming at you go yesterday?" Reno asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." she said.

"That bad huh? Our waitress is comin' over here and I have no freaking clue what I want." Reno said.

"We'll tell her we need more time and it's not that it was bad it's just..." Cissnei put here menu down and looked at Reno. "Your uh...your dad used to...beat on you and your mom right?" she asked seriously. Reno put his menu down as well.

"Yep...worthless ass would come home drunk and beat the shit outta both of us...why?" Reno asked. Cissnei shook her head.

"It's nothin'...it's just...what did you do to feel loved? When all that was happening to you and your mom...what did you do to replace him?" she asked.

"I read...I read book after book after book after book...about flyin'. Every time dad would fight with mom I'd lock my door on my room. I had this big poster of a twin engine cessna on the back of it...and I'd lean up against the door with my book and I'd read. I'd read and get so emerged in those books until I drowned out all the yelling and the screaming. Then my poor, poor mom would come up to my room and I'd let her in. She'd always have a black eye, a busted lip and tears comin' down her face. She'd sit on my bed and I'd go running to her side. She'd hug me and I'd squeeze her so tightly back. I was all she had and she was all I had. She vowed a hundred times over she and I would leave and fly away...but the truth was we never had a damn place to go." Reno explained. Cissnei didn't say anything for a moment. Reno picked the menu up once more.

"Tseng says that...that I'm looking for a father I'll never find. He um...he thinks SOLDIER doesn't love me the way I think they do." Cissnei said.

"I have made my decision!" Reno announced. He put his menu down again. "He's right. When is Tseng not right? He is more insightful than all of us put together. It's like he's said before...they pay us to think and they pay SOLDIER to fight. SOLDIER don't love you Cissnei. They do love...that you've been with plenty of 'em. Hell, I ain't criticizin' you for that but...you'd love yourself more than any SOLDIER could ever even think of lovin' you if you cut off their honey supply if you know what I mean." Reno promised her. She just stared at him for a bit until their waitress snapped her out of her daze. "Oh hi, hi...yeah we're ready to order I think." Cissnei said looking to Reno for reassurance. Once they had placed their orders Cissnei looked at Reno again.

"Cut it off, huh?" she questioned.

"Cut it off from the boys...and save it for when you're ready to get in bed with a real man." Reno said leaning in toward her. Cissnei tried to process that statement. Did he just call the entire SOLDIER floor a bunch of boys and then further insinuate that they didn't know what they were doing? Yes...yes he did.

"Hmm...we'll see. So, what's new with you these days?" she asked changing the subject. Reno had a strange look on his face.

"I uh...I did somethin'...and uh...well...it's somethin' I haven't done in a while. With...with another...guy that is." Reno said cracking open the flood gates.

"What do you mean?" Cissnei questioned. He stared at the table a minute.

"I...have...a tendency to uh...be attracted to...uh...girls...and uh...guys too." Reno paused.

"Okay?" Cissnei said as if it were no big deal at all...which it wasn't. But Reno had never told her that before so it was kind of a big deal to him.

"This one night...me and Rude were high as fuck and uh...we made out because he told me he'd always wanted to kiss a guy. Just this past Friday we did a...a little more than that...as in I went down on him and vice versa." Reno admitted.

"Whoa...are you saying that...is Rude..." Cissnei lowered her voice. Reno didn't let him finish.

"Yeah...uh huh...yeah he is. He's been in the closet for...god years I guess." Reno explained.

"So, what? Are you two doin' what Tseng and Elena are doin' only...different?" Cissnei asked.

"No, no, no. We were just messin' around for the hell of it. It just happened." Reno said.

"Okay, that is pretty much like the dozenth time I've heard the phrase it just happened stated by one of the five of us. I'm gonna buy magnet letters and spell that out on our refrigerator. Because that my dear, is the Turk slogan this month." Cissnei said. It made Reno laugh.

"Get like two bags of letters so we can spell all kinds of shit. You always run out of vowels when you're tryin' to spell stuff with magnet letters. I wish they would sell a bag of just vowels...you always run out of L's too." Reno said. Cissnei laughed with him. That was the funniest thing she had heard all day.

"Hey, hey...I think our other slogan should be Turks: a whole new meaning of togetherness." Reno shook his head. "Oh god, Cissnei. We're gonna need more letters." Cissnei laughed even harder now.

"Oh god...oh god...you're makin' my eyes water. Just the thought of this has never made me happier that the strips around our office doors are magnetized." she said.

"Well, hell that opens up an even greater opportunity for literary magnetizing!" Reno was still laughing with her.

"You know what we should do? We should…we should go get the letters today and have a freakin' book written on the fridge by the time Tseng, Elena and Rude are finished with the interrogation." Cissnei said.

"Let's do it! Let's do it Cissnei!" he insisted. "Hey what are you doin' later today. I'm supposed to fly all the way to the bone village today. Come with me. I don't wanna make that flight alone! Rude can't go with me with the interrogation and all. Come on, Tseng won't care. He's pre-occupied anyway." Reno said.

"Can I ride in the cockpit with you instead of the stupid back hatch?" Cissnei asked smiling all over.

"Hell yeah ya can! That's where the best views are anyway." Reno laughed. He looked at Cissnei sincerely. "You can see the whole world when you're flyin' above the clouds." Cissnei smiled.

"I never thought of it that way. Of course I'm never in the cockpit either." She said.

"You're always in the cockpit… SOLDIER floor _is _the cock pit." Reno said teasing her. Cissnei tried to hit him.

"Shut up, stupid!" Cissnei insisted.

Tseng and Elena didn't go back to the Shin-Ra building after lunch with Rude. Tseng was the boss after all and if he said he was taking the afternoon off to fuck Elena…that's exactly what happened. Elena sunk into soft cotton sheets as she reached her arms around Tseng. She kissed him as her hands wandered into soft black hair. She hadn't expected having her clothes laying across Tseng's floor at 1:30 in the afternoon but she liked the unpredictability of it. Elena moaned as she tightened her arms around him and traded him places; pushing him underneath her. She let her naked body rub all over him without apprehension or reluctancy. Her lips collided with his; her tongue dominated his. Elena could feel soft hands caress her back as she pushed herself backward; leaving Tseng with a lingering feeling to taste her lips just a little longer.

She drug her hands down his chest and stopped just above his hips. The sight of her was irresistibly beautiful. This afternoon they would practice…timing. They had to because there was nothing between them. Elena didn't take her eyes off Tseng as she repositioned her hips.

"I've not told you this but there's nothing more exciting than a woman on top." Tseng told her as he moved his hands over her hips, up her abdomen, over her ribs and underneath her breasts.

"I promise I won't disappoint." Elena said grabbing his hands and moving his palms over her chest. Tseng didn't have a chance to answer her. He was overwhelmed by the sensation of her body overtaking his. Elena sighed and moved her hands to the sheets beneath her on either side her Wutaiian lover. Clearly, Elena knew what she was doing and it was evident by the way she grinded her hips into him and the way she assaulted Tseng with lustful eyes. She gasped for him, begged for him, pleaded for him; and even though she was in control of everything she was losing control to him. She was by no means quiet and Tseng didn't want her to be. Neither of them had any problem agreeing with each other. Watching Elena's body move with him was the most erotic sight Tseng had ever seen. It wasn't just because she was on top…it was how much she enjoyed it and how much raw, hot energy she put forth. There was no question that the chemistry between them was more than electric. Elena moved her hands, shifting her weight backwards and making the angle change entirely.

"You've gotta stop…you've gotta…shit you gotta…ooooh my…god…" Tseng was breathless.

"No…no, no, no…no not yet…not yet…not yet…oooh not yet…" Elena panted just as breathlessly. It was all about the timing at this point; very precise timing.

"Okay, see that panel of switches in front of you?" Reno asked Cissnei through the headset as the helicopter blades idled rhythmically.

"Yeah." she answered adjusting her restraint.

"Flip all of those up except for the last two." Reno instructed her. She did as he told her.

"Alright, now take that lever right there, push the top button in and pull it all the way forward toward the dash." Reno told her. She did that as Reno flipped another series of switches on the panel. He did the same to the level on his side of the cockpit. The blades began to scream faster. "We clear?" Reno radioed to someone.

"All clear." someone answered him.

"Shin-Ra D2379 departing E Wing helipad 13:02 for Bone Village." Reno radioed again.

"Departure granted." a voice radioed back to him.

"Here we go." Reno told Cissnei as the blades rotated even faster. The pressure in the cockpit increased as the jolt of lifting off the helipad shook the entire chopper.

"You, know I always hear you say numbers to the tower but in a year's time I've never once asked you what the hell they mean." Cissnei said.

"It's the lingo! See, when you get ready to lift off the pad, you radio the class of the helicopter and the serial which is on the side. This is a D class or Dual meaning that it's a dual cockpit. 2379 is the serial stamped on the side. Now, what we normally whirl around in are the C classes or civilian choppers. And when we wanna pull out the big guns, literally we use the HA class or heavy artillery. Of course, we got LA class choppers too which is light artillery. Rufus's private chopper is different, it's marked EE for elite escort." Reno explained.

"I had no idea you knew all that stuff." Cissnei said as she watched Midgar below her. They still didn't have much altitude.

"Hey, hey...that ain't nothin'. No one in this company knows more about our helicopter fleet than me." Reno told her. "Now since you're not used to riding up here just wait until you see the view when we get over the water." he assured her.

Tseng couldn't take his eyes off Elena as he laid there propped up on his elbows. Her face was dripping wet and the way she pulled her finger across her lips and into her mouth was painfully gorgeous. The timing had been nothing short of perfect. Elena moved her body to Tseng's side and she pushed him back down into the sheets. "Relax." She insisted. Her voice was quiet and comforting. She grabbed the blanket wadded up around them and wiped her mouth off. They didn't care; they'd wash that later. Tseng reached for her, pulling her lips into his. His arms were weak; but Elena's thighs were a hundred times weaker. She let her body rest in a limp pile on top of him.

"That was completely…amazing." Tseng told her, pulling her forehead down against his. Her hair fell forward into his face.

"It was." She agreed passionately. "Is this the first afternoon of work you've missed in…I don't know…ever?" Tseng laughed at her and put his arms around her.

"No, it's like…the second…maybe third. No…second." He teased her. Elena smiled.

"Sometimes you deserve an afternoon off." She said pushing black hair behind his ears.

"You definitely deserved the afternoon off after the morning you had." He reminded her.

"Damn…I had pretty much forgotten about that interrogation." Elena admitted.

"You did wonderful." Tseng sighed. "Thank god you talk too much." He laughed at her.

"You just hush." Elena defended herself before kissing him again.

It had been a successful flight to the Bone Village although the excavation that was being conducted by Shinra archaeologists came up empty yet again for the third week in a row now. Reno and Cissnei had checked things out. No sign of precious items, just a few pieces of materia and some broken pottery. They would be counting every minute of this overtime on their report stubs. They had been here all afternoon and the sun was beginning to set over the bleak and cold landscape of the bone village. As brilliant as the view above the clouds had been on the way to the Bone Village, a sunset flight was even more brilliant. Cissnei was glad to be back in the warmth of the cockpit. Midgar would be plenty warm when they returned but the Bone Village was cold year round. Once in the air again and on their return trip, Cissnei looked around at the red-orange sky that tangled with bits of blue and purple before diving into the ocean."

"Do sunsets always look like this from up here?" she asked.

"Sure do. They somehow always feel closer when in the air...like you can just reach out and take some of it with ya."

"It's funny how...we're this high above everything...the world we know below us...yet we don't really leave any aspects of our lives behind on the ground...do we?" she asked inquisitively.

"When, I'm out here like this alone or with Rude or whoever; I can't think of nothin' but the open sky. Ain't a damn worry or trouble that ain't fixed when you're above the clouds." Cissnei smiled.

"Of course, my 90's dance mix CD helps too." Reno said waving his stupid homemade CD at her. She laughed.

"Oh my god! Reno! Your stupid Disco thing s bad enough all the way back from Costa del Sol and I wasn't even up here to enjoy the view!" she said.

"Hey, were hung over, over-sexed and asleep half of that trip back! You didn't even begin to appreciate my disco hits!" Reno argued with her.

"Does _anyone_ appreciate disco hits? Disco is dead for a reason, honey." Cissnei said.

"Just for that, I'm makin' you listen to Escapade." Reno insisted.

"Escapade isn't even the 90's...and it's not disco! Stupid!" Cissnei said throwing her hands up.

"So, I'm making you listen to it anyway." Reno said.

"Oh my god..." Cissnei mumbled as she put her forehead in here palm. Once the sun had finally set, the essence of nightfall had an entirely different look. It was a sight unlike Cissnei had ever seen before; perhaps because she never paid attention before even though she had been on several after dark runs and missions of various sorts. One thing was certain; it was the first time since she was quite little that she noticed the stars. Had they always been this bright and this numerous or was her view less obstructed up here?


	13. Leverage

"No, no, no...n...La...Lazard...just...just listen for a second...n...no stop with the..." Tseng sighed and threw his feet up on the edge of his desk. "You drive my blood pressure through the freaking roof. I want you to know that. What kind of freak show are you running down there? I mean that in the most respectful way possible but now you're telling me that you think Genesis is up to something?" Tseng sighed again and reached for his pen. "Okay, okay. Tell me where that particular laptop is located and I'll have it hacked by the end of the day. Yes...yes I can hack most all of our computers. Well, it's not that hard. Our technology security is surprisingly weak. Alright...alright...put me through to Rufus afterward."

Rude was walking down the hall toward the refrigerator. He looked up but didn't pay much attention. However, when what he saw finally registered made he did a double take. He looked around. He could see Tseng throwing a hand in the air and talking to Director Lazard, Cissnei was nowhere to be seen. Reno was in his office and Elena was upstairs. He looked back at the refrigerator and all around him once more. Finally, he took his dark glasses off. "Hey! Hey did anyone know there are magnet letters all over the fridge?" he said to no one in particular. He looked at the top freezer door: IT JUST HAPPENED was what was spelled out in brightly colored capital letters. Of course, there was a slew of other letters adorning the fridge too, not arranged in any particular order. Rude's moment of pondering was interrupted by Reno yelling.

"Oh my god I just ruined another shirt! This ink pen exploded!" he complained.

"How have you been?" Rufus asked as he sat at his desk with Elena on the opposite side of him.

"I've been well...you?" she asked nervously. She could smell him, which only reminded her of him being on her. She hated the way he watched her with those eyes of his.

"Good. I hear you performed a marvelous interrogation." Rufus scooted his chair in farther underneath his desk. Elena smiled nervously and shot her eyes to the glass covering on his desk.

"Well I...I don't hardly think it was...I mean I was just...Tseng thought it best that I do the interrogation instead of him." she answer. She could feel herself shaking from nerves.

"Yes...he normally does the interrogating. It's good...to do what the boss says, Elena." Rufus put his hand on hers. She swallowed hard as she felt herself shaking more. His voice was wrapped in seduction.

"Uh huh..." she replied trying to sneak her hand away from him. He must have sensed here discomfort because he quickly took his hand off hers but the firery look in his eyes hadn't changed.

"Tell me...do you do everything...the boss tells you to do?" Rufus interlaced his fingers and leaned in closer to Elena. His voice was low and His eyes spoke multitudes. She realized where this was going and she knew that if she could interrogate the way she had...she could also play Rufus's game. With a new found degree of confidence, she too interlaced her fingers and leaned in toward him.

"Yes...everything." she answered him raising here eyebrows. Her voice was even softer than his.

"No matter how dirty the job, huh?" he asked her leaning in farther.

"The filthier the better." she answered without taking her eyes off him. Suddenly she had turned the tables as she noticed Rufus break his gaze somewhat and tug at his collar.

"You dirty...dirty girl." he said quietly.

"I know...it's too bad I saved all the really dirty stuff...for the boss...isn't it?" Was she crazy! This was the president she was talking to! But she was playing his game, and she was winning.

"So...you'd do anything?" he asked her feeling his pulse pound in his neck and trying to elude her previous statement. Elena leaned in farther, to the point where her breath hit his chin.

"Oh yes, Rufus...I'd do _anything _the boss says..." she licked her teeth. "..._anything_."

There was silence between them as Rufus lost his composure a little more. "You know Rufus...we call him boss for a reason. I think it's probably because...he knows how to be in charge. You know...really...take the reigns. Every man likes to be in charge, Rufus...but only one can be. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a job to do and I expect a conversation like this to never again happen between us, yes?" Elena stated just above a hushed whisper with more confidence then she ever thought she would have as she slowly stood up.

"Yes, ma'am...anything...anything at all, Elena. I understand. " Rufus choked. His mouth had gone painfully dry.

"I'm glad we're clear sir. I'm sure I'll talk to you again soon. Have a wonderful day." Elena said as she stood up and backed away from his desk, inching toward the door. He nodded at her as he was at a complete loss for words. Once outside his large office doors, Elena quickly pressed for the elevator and pulled her cell phone out. She leaned up against the wall and took a deep breath. "Hey." she said.

"Well?" Tseng answered her. He was still on the other line with Lazard.

"He will honor any request I make. If you think the MAKO reactor should be built on that site all I need to do is bring him the paper and show him where to sign." Elena said stepping into the elevator.

"You know, this is the only thing me and Rufus have ever disagreed on…in three years of working together. He won't regret this decision. I'll have the document drawn up first thing tomorrow. I'm sorry we…had to do what we did to get him to crack. I've never…manipulated Rufus before and furthermore I've never used a woman to get to Rufus before. I feel badly on all accounts." Tseng said.

"It's okay. I don't think Rufus would have backed down so easily for you. Besides, I was only doing my job…baby."

"You know what it does to me when you call me that." Tseng said seriously.

"That's why I do it, baby. Hey, you're on your own for lunch. I'm gonna watch Cissnei's endurance test. I'm going to meet her now." Elena said stepping off the elevator onto another floor.

"Alright. Damn, I still have Lazard on hold. Talk to you later." Tseng said remembering he wasn't through with Lazard.

"Bye." Elena hung up her phone. She made her way down around a corner only to find Cissnei changed and ready to run. "Hey, you ready?" Cissnei was laughing at something as she tossed her phone aside.

"Yeah, yeah I'm ready. Best get this over with." Cissnei said pulling her hair back off her neck.

"Okay, hold on. Let me pull your chart up." Elena said. Cissnei stretched a bit while Elena flipped through the computer files to find her chart. If Elena's body was a ten…Cissnei's was a 9.99. "Here we go, ready when you are." Elena said. Cissnei took a deep breath.

"Gotcha. Here we go."

"You're sure about this?" Rufus asked as he glanced over the document and then looked up at Tseng. It hadn't been thirty minutes since Elena had left Rufus's office.

"I assure you this is a positive move for the company. I was going to have Elena bring this document to you but she's monitoring Cissnei's endurance test." Tseng explained.

"I see." Rufus picked up the document and clicked his pen. "You know, Tseng. I trust you on this. Though I'm not sure I'm completely behind this decision I trust you." Rufus said leaning forward in his chair and resting the document on his desk again. He glided his pen flawlessly over the parchment surface leaving a beautiful 'R' in it's wake. Tseng watched him intensely as the prospect of a MAKO excavation and reactor build became a reality. Rufus put his pen down and turned the document toward Tseng. He stared at Rufus's black signature: RUFUS M. SHINRA. Now he could sign the document on the line below Rufus's signature.

"Let's talk money." Rufus said with his elbows on his desk as Tseng pulled the pen across the paper.

"Alright, let's." Tseng said not looking up.

"You get ten percent of the excavation revenue." Rufus said matter of factly. Tseng looked up rather surprised.

"Ten?" Tseng asked, a peculiar look on his face. He shoved the document aside and pushed Rufus's pen back toward him.

"Yes. Ten." Rufus said not wavering.

"Okay, it's just that in the previous site expansion you had given me seventeen percent." Tseng said leaning back in his chair.

"Yes…yes…well…we can't always get…what we want, my friend." Rufus lifted a finger to his lips. Tseng was suddenly rather alarmed by the tone of Rufus's voice and the look on his face. "We are friends, right?" Rufus questioned.

"Of course, friends and colleagues." Tseng said sitting up a little straighter.

"You see, Tseng…I have something you want…and uh, you….you have something… I want." Rufus said as he turned his chair sideways and stared at Tseng. Tseng examined wild blue eyes as he suddenly felt rather threatened by the man with whom he had worked so closely over the past few years. "You…are going to keep….what I want…and I…am going to keep…what you want." Rufus paused. He didn't take his eyes off Tseng and Tseng didn't take his eyes off Rufus. "Please…please rest assured that I have…no hard feelings. When you find something...beautiful...shall we say...it's best to keep it for yourself." Rufus turned his chair to face his desk once more. Tseng squirmed a bit, uncomfortable in Rufus's gaze. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Tseng said clearing his throat. He watched as Rufus stood up behind his desk. Tseng followed in suit. Rufus extended his hand toward Tseng. It was an awkwardly firm handshake. Tseng nodded uncomfortably. After finally releasing Rufus's hand, he quickly picked up the document and headed for the heavy doors of Rufus's office. Tseng hadn't expected Rufus to use such leverage.

Reno and Rude were outside on the N wing helipad area. It didn't appear that they were doing a whole lot of anything productive. "I think you should do it. You said you been talkin' to this guy for over a month so why the hell not do something with him?" Reno said.

"I'd be way too nervous, man. I haven't…you know…been 'out' with anyone for like four years now." Rude said.

"So, Tseng hadn't been on a date or even gotten laid in like sixteen months either and look at him now." Reno said as they approached the hanger. Rude didn't say anything for a minute. "Look, you really should do it." Reno was distracted by the sound of a text message. He looked at it and laughed.

"You've been doing that like all day today. Who keeps texting you?" Rude asked. Reno was still slightly laughing at the message he had just received.

"Ah, it's nothin'…nothin'." He said texting something back.

"No, it's somethin'. You've been acting weird all day today." Rude observed.

"No I haven't! How have I been actin' weird?" Reno demanded.

"I don't know, really. You're just…you're smiling a lot today. It's…it's just way more than I've normally seen you smile in a day." Rude brought this to his attention.

"So? I guess I'm…I'm just in a good mood." Reno said.

"No, that's not it. There's something about the _way_ you're smilin'." Rude said. "What did you do yesterday?"

"What did I do? Uh…nothin' really. I had lunch with Cissnei and then she and I went on a flight to the Bone Village. We had a great time. It was fun." Reno explained.

"It was fun, huh?" Rude asked taking his glasses off.

"Well, yeah. We…spent the whole day together. Talked the whole damn flight, ya know?"

"Huh…interesting." Was all Rude said.

"Come on! You're almost done!" Elena yelled at Cissnei.

"Aaaagghhh! These stupid endurance tests!" Cissnei panted as she tried to keep up.

"Don't talk! Just concentrate!" Elena told her. Cissnei took a deep breath and continued running as hard as she could.

"Twenty more seconds!" Elena announced.

"Twenty more seconds of hell!" Cissnei yelled over the sound of the treadmill.

"Focus!" Elena reminded her. The twenty seconds droned on as Cissnei counted them down. She slowed her pace as she came toward the end of her treadmill run. She was walking it out now on a flat incline.

"Do you have any idea how much I hate these things!" Cissnei asked grabbing a hold of the sides of the treadmill and walking out the strains of the endurance test.

"Well, you did fine even though you hate it." Elena reminded her. She let the computer take in the data of the last leg of Cissnei's run and pulled her a bottle of water out of the small fridge. Cissnei stepped off the treadmill with her hands on her hips. She was red faced and attempting to catch her breath. She walked over to the nearby chair with her suit wadded up on it and picked up her phone. She laughed at the text message she saw and practically choked on her laughter from not being able to catch her breath. "What in the world are you laughing at? You're been glued to that stupid phone for half the day." Elena questioned throwing the water at her.

"Oh it's nothing. Reno just sent me a text saying that Rude almost killed himself when he slipped on an oil slick in the hanger." Cissnei said.

"I see. Hey, you wanna come by after work today?" Elena asked her.

"Aren't you going to be underneath your Wutai prince?" Cissnei asked her. Elena laughed.

"No. He's gonna stay late tonight and have an online conference with Rufus and two others from the future MAKO site." Elena said.

"Oh well, aren't you just fucking mister important." Cissnei said picking up her suit.

"Are you just going to carry that upstairs like that?" Elena questioned as Cissnei wiped her face with a towel.

"Yeah, stupid thing's gonna be all wrinkled anyway." Cissnei said.

"Well, how about you come by just whenever." Elena said. Cissnei was laughing at her phone again. It was as if she didn't even hear Elena.


	14. A First Time for Everything

"She's beautiful." Elena said as she sat there watching the monitors. Tseng shook his head.

"She's so fragile. I've been watching her for ten years. She's...pure and naive. That's what scares me the most." Tseng shared.

"So she's the last of her kind, huh?" Elena asked.

"She is. I fear the company she keeps and I fear what the science department wants with her."

"What do you mean?" Elena looked at Tseng.

"Professor Hojo...he's been known to perform experiments and it's my concern that eventually he will want to impregnate her with...god only knows what to see if the Ancient bloodline passes on." he sighed. "Of course, I have an even bigger problem and that is...worrying about Zack Fair destroying her bloodline all together. I was assigned to protect her; yet somehow I feel I am putting her in harms way." Tseng confessed. " I fear that the company will ask something of me that I won't be able to do."

"You can't bear every burden, Tseng." Elena reminded him watching the delicate flower girl on the monitor. It was like Tseng had said before, she was truly fascinating.

"I know but...I just have a strange and uneasy feeling about the company's intentions of me watching her so closely. I swore my loyalty to Shinra a long time ago. I used to think I was just protecting the last of the Ancients in hope's of learning more about their Cetra power. I'm not so sure of that anymore. I don't even think it was entirely chance that Zack met her. My god...he could completely ruin her." Tseng reached into the nearby drawer for a bottle of aspirin. He didn't take his eyes off Aerith.

"How...exactly?" Elena wondered even though she thought she might already know.

"If he sleeps with her...he will ruin her. This company...it places a hell of a lot emphasis on the fact that we are watching the last of the virgin Ancients." Tseng swallowed two aspirin without even bothering with the nearby bottle of water. He grabbed Elena's tie and pulled her over against him. "I don't know what to do. Sometimes I think I should tell her to get out of the slums and go...just go until she can't go anymore. I fear that I am becoming her enemy, Elena." Tseng whispered. Elena snuck here arms around him.

"You're just doing your job, Tseng. If she trusts you, she'll do the right thing. If it's true that the Cetra can sense things that the rest of us can't...she'll get out of the slums before you have a chance to tell her." Elena reassured him.

"I never thought of it that way, but you're right."

"Now I find myself curious, what happens...to genetically altered SOLDIER DNA and DNA like hers if it's mixed?" Elena questioned as she continued to watch Aerith.

"That...is the burning question. Hojo is just aching to get his hands on Aerith's DNA in order to conduct such research. It's speculated that the Ancient bloodline traits won't pass due to the dominance of altered SOLDIER genes. But, there is no way of knowing." Tseng said leaning his head over on Elena. He seemed exhausted from his own thoughts.

"Well, technically there is one way of finding out...but Zack's already done that with Cissnei, minus the getting her pregnant part." Elena said.

"Oh, how it worries me that Zack will do exactly that to Aerith. There's also a risk that the trace amounts of MAKO within SOLDIER DNA can poison her. If she succumbs to MAKO poisoning it will either sterilize her…or kill her. He better not lay a hand on her. She's still so innocent in many ways and Zack...well...he's very experienced in all the ways Aerith is not." he sighed and stared at all the unfinished paperwork on his desk. "I'm sorry...I just...she gets to me sometimes because I feel like her father." Tseng admitted. "She was nine...when I started watching her. In a very strange way...that's my little girl."

"It's understandable. You've dedicated a lot of your professional life to her. She's fascinating. To think that she could be the savior of the world…yet she carries on such an ordinary life." Elena commented as she watched Aerith tend to her flowers.

"Indeed. The flowers make her so happy." Tseng answered her.

"Knock, knock, knock...don't know what you're doing...don't really care. Elena, I need to talk to you right now. It's important." Cissnei said. Elena turned her head sideways and faced Cissnei. Cissnei looked serious.

"Okay. Don't obsess over it Tseng. It'll only drive you crazy." Elena cautioned him as she stood up. He shook his head in agreement. She was barely outside the door when Cissnei grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hallway and around the corner to her office. She closed the door quickly and leaned up against it.

"What's going on?" Elena questioned. Cissnei dug around in her pocket until she found her cell phone. She poked around on it and handed it over to Elena.

"Look!" she pointed to her phone. Elena read the message on the screen.

"Well, well, well." Elena said with a smile on her face.

"What do I do! What do I text back!" Cissnei demanded in a panic.

"Well, do you want to?" Elena asked.

"Yeah...yeah I want to but...it's just...I...I don't think I've actually been on a 'date' before." Cissnei admitted as she chewed on her lower lip.

"What do you mean you've never been on a date?" Elena questioned.

"I just fuck guys! I don't date them! I mean…I _wanna_ date them but I just end up fucking them!" Cissnei said throwing her hands out in frustration. "I guess what I'm asking is…how do you just…just be with a guy without sleepin' with him?" Cissnei asked sincerely. It was a rather sad yet honest question.

"It's hard for you to see past that, isn't it?" Elena questioned.

"Yeah…that's why I need your help. He's expecting a text back from me I just know it. God….this is high school bullshit. The only problem is that I didn't figure out all this bullshit while I was in high school."

"Tell him yes and keep this in mind. You've known Reno for a while. You're actually gonna have something to talk about. You don't have that with any SOLDIER you've been with." Elena reminded her. That was a true statement…they had a lot to talk about. Cissnei sighed and took her phone back from Elena.

"How does this sound: Yeah, sure…whenever." Cissnei rehearsed the line before texting Reno back.

"Fitting. Anymore formal than that and it wouldn't suit Reno well." Elena said. Cissnei sighed.

Down the hall, Reno was sitting in Rude's office. He heard his phone make a sound and immediately reached for it. He laughed.

"Okay, she said yes. Now it's your turn." Reno said texting something back to Cissnei.

"I can't Reno, I just can't." Rude said putting his hands over his face.

"Yes you can, man! Come on! You…are totally acting like you're sisteen, stupid! You've been in the closet for what…like fifteen years…you've been talking to this guy for six months. I can't imagine how it must feel to hide like that for so long." Reno said.

"It's hard…it's real hard. You're the only other person who knows." Rude said.

"Who's the other?" Reno questioned.

"Tseng." He answered.

"Are you serious? How did he react?" Reno had a surprised look on his face as his phone made another noise.

"He let me absolutely unload on him. That's the thing about Tseng. He's so fuckin' serious and so stern that no one would ever suspect him of being one of the easiest people to talk to about anything." Rude confessed.

"Huh…see, I always thought that he would be the type that would be a total homophobe. But I don't know why the hell I've thought that." Reno said. Rude laughed.

"You come up with the stupidest shit sometimes." He paused. "Alright, alright…you win. I'll do it."

"Excellent. I'll sit here and watch. That's what I love about this job…times like this when I'm not workin'. Send that message, damn it. I'm gonna go write somethin' on the fridge." Reno said standing up. This was one of the most courageous things Rude had ever done. Behind the tough, intimidating persona that he fronted…there was actually a man who was more vulnerable than anyone would have ever thought. Reno wasn't gone long. He didn't want to miss this epic moment but at the same time the plastic fridge letters were screaming his name.

"There…I did it. I can't believe I let you talk me in to this." Rude said second guessing this whole thing.

"You know, Tseng is gonna kill us both if he sees we aren't doing shit. Do you realize how many tasks I'm procrastinating on right now?" Reno said.

"You're right. I'll let you know what uh…what he says." Rude promised him.

"Alright. I gotta go work on some stuff on the E Wing. Keep me posted." Reno said leaving Rude to return to whatever it was that he had been working on earlier…if anything.

"You got it." Rude assured him.

Cissnei had never though of Reno the way she had been for the past couple days. Sure, she had worked with him for a year but she had been so wrapped up in other men that she didn't pay him much attention. There was a funny feeling that overtook her as she rode the elevator to the Shinra building entrance. Part of it was nerves over the fact that Reno had actually asked her to go 'out' with him later in the week, and part of it was a strange excitement over the fact that she was actually going on a date for the first time in her life. She also realized that she had a score to settle. She punched floor 42 before the elevator whizzed by toward the bottom floor. She looked up at the glowing '42' above her and stepped off into the hallway. She flew a set of double doors open and made her way down the long hallway. As usual, all eyes were on her. Cissnei laughed to herself because she saw everyone down here through different eyes. Reno had been right about something: This was a floor full of boys and all the men were up on floor 60 where she had just come from.

"Cissnei! Cissnei come here!" Kunsel called to her. She walked over to him.

"Hey…I got somethin' for you." Kunsel reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "He feasts his eyes on you every time you're down here. Give him a call. He's not busy Friday." Kunsel said handing a phone number over to her. She took it, glanced at the paper, back up at Kunsel, and back at the paper again before smashing it in her fist.

"Yeah well, I am busy. I don't come down here for your amusement anymore." She said.

"What do you mean?" Kunsel said laughing, not really understanding what Cissnei was getting at.

"You and your boys need to find someone else to fuck. Boss's orders." Cissnei said throwing the crumpled up piece of paper back at Kunsel before turning around and heading back toward the elevator. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she entered the elevator once more.


	15. I'm Searchin' for a Real Love Part Two

There was only one thing worse than making the front page of the Shinra newspaper with Rufus Shinra…making the front page of the paper with your boyfriend _and _Rufus Shinra. The headline read: SHINRA ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY TO BEGIN MAKO EXCAVATION IN MOUNT COREL. It was the most uncomfortable looking photo ever…or at least Elena thought so. Tseng on her left, Rufus on her right and her…in the middle. She had tried half a dozen times to get out of the picture. As far as she was concerned, she had no business being in it. Tseng and Rufus had signed the document, not her. But, whatever Rufus wanted…Rufus got…and Rufus wanted her in the picture to represent the Turks with Tseng. Rude thought it was a bit out of spite on Rufus's part but no one would ever know for sure. Elena sat the newspaper aside and returned to her laptop. It was a stormy early evening. She could smell the scent of meat mixed with spices and broth as Tseng cooked behind her. She continued to type away at some sort of document. "You seriously think I'm going to like that stuff?" she asked.

"I truly think you will. If you don't I'll make you a grilled cheese sandwich." Tseng promised her. Elena laughed.

"So how exactly does turtle become a mainstay dish?" she questioned.

"Wutai turtles are different from other turtle species around the world. The meat is tenderer and it's sweet. I've eaten this stuff since I was little and I can't imagine life without it. It's a tried and true recipe." Tseng assured her searching a drawer for a ladle.

"How many ways do you Wutaiians prepare turtle?" Elena asked.

"Oh god…there's a lot. Of course, this is the dish that put us on the culinary map. It's funny to eat it here because no one in Midgar can make it like they do in Wutai." Tseng said. "Do you want to eat it over there or at the table?"

"It doesn't matter. Hold on and let me finish this sentence and I'll help you." Elena said.

"No, no. You're okay. I'll bring a bowl over there to you. I just need to find…there it is." Tseng told her. It was just a subtle gesture of how truly crazy he was over her. She finished whatever she was typing and pushed her laptop aside nonetheless.

"Okay, I'm ready for this." She said turning around on the couch and watching the steam come off the hot soup. It wasn't the best time of year for soup because of the heat but as far as Tseng was concerned this turtle gumbo-like creation knew no season. He shoved a spoon into a bowl and brought it over to Elena.

"Here. You crush the fried wontons over it. That's how you eat it. Now don't lie. If you don't like it I'll make you something else…of course if you don't like it you'll be insulting six generations of Wuaiians but whatever." Tseng said teasing her. Elena laughed and looked at him. She wasn't quite sure about this. It looked so strange. It was actual _turtle _meat. She watched as it blended in with the mushrooms, celery, and lo mein style noodles. She thought that maybe she would be more eager to try this had she _not_ known it was turtle.

"Where's yours?" Elena asked poking the soupy mixture.

"I want to see your reaction first." He said waiting there eagerly. She reluctantly scooped up a spoonful and sniffed it before tasting it. It was apparent she was procrastinating. She slowly tried it and her expression changed instantly.

"Oh my god! Wow…wow that is…that is good stuff!" Elena said emphatically.

"You're not just saying that because you're nice are you?" Tseng said standing up to go get his own bowl.

"No! No, it's delicious soup. I really like it. The meat is tender and sweet just like you said and…just get your bowl and get over here." Elena said. He was doing exactly that. "Hey, did you know that Reno and Cissnei have uh…been out three times in three days."

"I did. I'm not sure but…I think he really likes her. He was dating someone for a while last year and so he never paid her much attention. Better later than never." Tseng commented as he joined her on his couch.

"So you support that." Elena said.

"I do. Reno is one of the most genuine people I know. He would be very good for Cissnei. She needs a guy like him to tame her a little before she regrets any more decisions she makes. There is a huge difference between a twenty year old SOLDIER and a twenty-eight-year-old Turk." He commented.

"God, that's right. Reno is twenty-eight and Cissnei is nineteen. She's an incredibly mature nineteen but still Reno has nine years on her." Elena said.

"Exactly. That much maturity in a man is going to give her something she's never had before." Tseng said. Elena laughed.

"You mean a conversation that involves more words than hey wanna fuck?" she questioned.

"Exactly." Tseng assured her. " You know, when Reno tested in to the academy his IQ came back 138. I think that explains why Reno is the way he is. He's messy, he's lazy, he's painfully sincere…and he's right on the borderline of being a genius."

"That's amazing." Elena said. "Well, I can tell you that Cissnei really, really likes being with him. She is glued to that freakin' phone and apparently the SOLDIER floor has caught wind that she's quote 'seein' some guy upstairs'. They are all up in arms down there." Elena said.

"I imagine they are. That's another thing I don't understand. Cissnei was originally considered by the academy instructors to be a possible SOLDIER prospect, despite the fact that she was female. But then they tested her IQ and realized that she was entirely too intelligent to be subjected to JENOVA cell testing. So that's when they started to take notice as to how skilled she was with tactics. That's how she made it…well she was selected actually to replace your sister but nonetheless…that's how she made it to our floor."

"That's interesting. Believe it or not, I'm going to get some more soup." Elena said standing up. Just as she made her way toward the kitchen, the power went out from the storm. "Okay, so I'll go get a flashlight too." She said. At least the battery on Elena's laptop kept it alive to provide a glow to eat by.

"There is a big candle in that hall closet." Tseng told her. He and Elena hadn't been seeing each other even a month yet; but ever since the first night they slept together they had barely spent a night away from each other. In fact, Elena had Tseng's closet half full of her things, she had two drawers in his chest filled and she had something else that sent the strongest message of all: a half empty blister of birth control. Even her apartment was becoming cluttered with so many of Tseng's things. She would have much rather been here in his townhouse as in her two bedroom apartment for many reasons; space being at the top of the list. One thing about Tseng was that he took everything very seriously and his relationships were no exception to that rules. Rude had always said that when Tseng fell, he fell hard and fast. Only Rude truly knew how serious Tseng had been about Tarahyn and how devastating to him it had been when she up and left. It was no surprise that he had already taken Elena so seriously.

Elena soon returned with a flashlight and she managed to find the big candle after searching around in the dark. She didn't even think to turn the flashlight on FIRST and THEN look for the big candle. Turk intelligence…irony. "Here we go." She said sitting the candle down and returning to the kitchen to look for a lighter and her soup.

"You've never once mentioned any of your past relationships." Tseng said seemingly out of nowhere.

"There's not much to tell. I never had much attention from any guy ever. If I did…if I was ever lucky enough to have a date or something, he would meet my sister for the first time and he would decide he wanted her instead. I've had two boyfriends…and she took them both." Elena confessed returning to the couch.

"They weren't much of a boyfriend then." He said. "Why would you say you never had much attention?"

"Because it's true. The only time in my life that I've been pursued has been now. I've never had two men take interest in me at the same time. It was Rufus and it was you and it was shocking to me." Elena said. She shook her head. "Sometimes, I'm still afraid even now that Annika will just swoop right in and…get her way…and…you know…if you saw her again…now…you'd remember that she's the pretty one…she's the woman every man wants." Elena paused. "I'm sorry…I…didn't mean to say that. I talk too much." Tseng wasn't quite sure how to answer her. He was a slave for her; but he knew that telling her that wouldn't ease the fear her sister had instilled in her. He put his bowl aside and took her in his arms instead.

Cissnei moaned softly. "Do you fuck the way you kiss?" she pleaded. Reno kissed her neck.

"I might." he replied. Cissnei brought his lips to hers. It was a heated and passionate kiss.

"Maybe you should show me." she said pulling her lips away only for a moment before their kiss evolved into an intense clash of tongue.

"No...I'm not gonna do that." Reno said burying his fingers into her hair. He kissed her forehead. Cissnei put her hands around his neck.

"Then what are you going to do about the problem in your pants?" She said kissing him again. Reno laughed.

"Nothing." He replied.

"I don't get it…you blow Rude but you won't fuck me?" she asked. He snuck his arms underneath her as they laid there on his couch in near total darkness.

"That…was totally, totally different. If I slept with you I would be no better than any other dumbass from the 49th floor that you've been with. It's not that I don't want to…it's that you deserve a hell of a lot more respect than that."

"But you know this is our third date and I know that you have the three date rule." Cissnei said.

"Breakin' the rule with you." Reno said squeezing her tighter. He kissed her again. It nearly took her breath away.

"How the hell could you possibly have that much self control?" Cissnei wondered as she pressed his forehead in to hers.

" 'Cause I don't let my cock do the thinkin' for me." He kissed her again and Cissnei wrapped her arms around him. The storm was fairly intense outside but neither Reno nor Cissnei paid it any attention.

"So, uh…which is better, being with a guy or a girl?" Cissnei questioned with a smile. Reno laughed at her and let his fingers tickle the sides of her ribs.

"Well, it just…it depends on a lot of things. It's…well first it's what you're in the mood for. Sometimes with a guy there's no guess work but the bad part is there's also simply no foreplay at all. The flirtyness…the teasing is gone with another guy. I miss that…a lot. It's really exciting though when…a guy looks at you and you just know…it's that 'look'. Rude's a lot better at it than I am." Reno laughed.

"But what's the actual sex like? Seriously…what is that like because it's gotta be a lot different." Cissnei insisted.

"I don't know. I've never slept with another guy. I've just gone to third base with 'em." Reno confessed. Cissnei smiled.

"Why do I find it so sexy that you're so open to either relationship?" she asked pulling her hands through red hair.

"Cissnei, do you know how many guys I've met that are secretly bi and they're too afraid to come out and say it? You think it's sexy that I'm willing to admit it. But I should be honest and tell you that I only very recently told Rude. You know….that's somethin' different about bein' with a guy and bein' with a girl. You tell a straight guy you're bi and usually he's all nervous that you're checkin' him out. You tell a straight girl you're bi…she automatically wants to make out with you." Reno said. Cissnei laughed and pulled his lips in to hers again. It was an even hotter kiss than it was when they had first laid down on Reno's couch. The truth was if they weren't careful, it could turn in to sex very fast…especially if Cissnei had anything to say about it. But Reno had the better judgment and tonight especially, he would use it. He regretted the fact that he had been in a relationship a year prior that kept him from getting to know Cissnei. He could have saved her a lot of wasted time.

"Do those shoes seriously cost over 400 gil?" Reno asked looking down at the floor at the shoes that Cissnei had once again borrowed from Elena. She laughed.

"Hell yeah they do!" She said.

"That's insane…but they're hot as hell so that makes it okay." Reno said kissing her again.

"Mmm…I should go soon." Cissnei whispered, putting her hands on his face.

"It's stormin' like hell out there and the power's out. You ain't goin' out in this shit." Reno said pressing his lips into her neck. Cissnei laughed.

"That's sweet of you…looking out for me in the big bad storm." Cissnei said making fun of him. "Ain't nobody need to take care of me, Reno." She kissed him again.

"I know you don't _need _anyone…but it might feel good for once to be taken care of. You ain't goin' out in the storm. You ain't gonna sleep with me….tonight…TONIGHT…I said _tonight_...tonight doesn't mean next week." Cissnei's laughter cut him off. She let her hands glide down his cheek. He laughed with her and moved his hands to the sides of her neck. "Take a day off from puttin' up such a tough front, Cissnei." His voice was soft and serious.

"I'm afraid of what might happen if I do." She admitted meekly. He kissed her forehead.

"It's okay to be afraid but it's easier to be afraid with someone who actually gives a shit about you." Reno said sincerely. Cissnei smiled.

"I'll stay 'til the storm's over." She wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could.


	16. The Ring of Fire

"Okay, you two are gonna be in the air. Keep Elena and Cissnei toward the front of your viewing window at all times. Elena is gonna rush in from the left and unload fire on the first wave. Cissnei will rush the right and take out any machines in the first wave that don't fall to Elena's rounds. I will bring up the rear and unload on the second wave. Now, you two must get down once Elena's first round is empty because once I hear her last shot, I'm opening fire." Tseng cautioned Elena and Cissnei. Cissnei shook her head in agreement.

"How the hell can you count those rounds the way you do?" Rude asked.

"I just...I don't know I can track 'em pretty tightly." Tseng answered. "You have got to be ready to unload the big stuff once I radio to you and give you the clear that we are out of the way." Tseng said tapping his pen in front of Reno.

"Believe me those guns are loaded and hot." Reno assured him. "There are two type three bombs loaded in the cargo. If we need 'em...droppin' 'em won't be a problem.

"Okay, excellent. Now, after your airstrike, we will have had a chance to reload and take out anything that's still moving out there. Rude, you're gonna jump and you should be in line with the roof of the library. You're gonna throw the gas canisters into the mess on the ground. Again, wait until I radio you so I can let you know where the three of us are." Tseng said.

"Should I be on the ground with you since I have the tear gas? Or...or...should one of you three have it?" Rude asked.

"No, that has to come as a surprise. See, these two are in the front because they're the fastest. Elena's on the left since she has a gun. Cissnei's on the right because her shuriken makes an arc and it has to have room to return to her. I'm in the back...because I'm not fast enough to rush like these two." Tseng explained. "When you throw that gas down from up above it will confuse anything left down here."

"Man, all I gotta do is let a couple rounds outta those twin guns and it's gonna fuck up someone's world down there." Reno added.

"I don't doubt that for a minute. But you have to remember, the will be some very large and very illegal Shinra weapons down there. SOLDIER re-enforcements won't be called in unless we do it. They are stationed toward the outer plate in the event there's a getaway from Hojo." Tseng said.

"Tseng, what does Rufus know about this situation?" Rude asked seriously.

"Elena." Tseng said, giving her the go ahead.

"He knows the machines were illegally released in hopes of them tracking civillians who may be using alternate IDs to board the trains. The plan backfired. He knows that Genesis and Hollander are working together and were the ones that are most likely responsible for the isn't funding the research but his HALF-BROTHER Lazard, otherwise known as SOLDIER Director, is funding it. He was okay with scaring the people into submission but he admits that it got out of hand and he wasn't aware that those two would release the machines the way they did." Elena explained seriously.

"Wow...well why the hell are we still sitting here? Shouldn't we get out there and take those machines down so we can search and strip them of any potential information that's gonna get leaked?" Reno asked.

"Because, if we go now SOLDIER isn't going to have time to stabilize their jurisdiction." Tseng said.

"We need more information from Rufus...like how Lazard got his hands on 18 million Gil that belonged to Shinra Company investors." Rude said. Tseng shook his head.

"First, Rufus isn't gonna know, cause when it comes to money he has his hands tightly clenched around it. Lazard has given him the slip and has calculated how he was going to do it. Second, even if I thought he knew how that happened Elena can't get it because he's gonna figure out that I'm usin' her to get to him."

"Right, but...but...you said yourself that Rufus is using _her_ to get to _you. _He cut you out of a near 20 percent deal, man." Reno reminded him. "What I'm sayin' is that if you think Rufus knows somethin' he ain't tellin' us...'Lena needs to go up there, guns blazin' and find it out." Reno said.

"He doesn't know anything else. He would have told her." Tseng said.

"If Rufus trusts you so much why does he keep things like that from you?" Rude wondered. It was a fair question.

"I seriously think that sometimes he's afraid to tell me because he's not sure how I'll react." was Tseng's logic. "Anyway, there's one more detail we need to go over and that is what happens if we need to retreat. Reno will fly over here to the 38th street overpass which is where we will meet in the event of a retreat." Tseng pointed on a map in the middle of the table.

"That won't work. Look, there's not enough clearance here between the overpass and the plate support beams. The trajectory angle goin' in won't even be enough for the blades to pass through. Hold on that's uh..." Reno stared up at the ceiling as he ran some numbers through his head. "...that's approximately a 45 degree angle here and 57 degree angle here and those blades won't pass through any space less than 62 degrees." Reno pointed out. "If we have to abort, I won't land. I'll hover near the bank building and release the ropes. "I'm gonna land slightly north toward the Sector Three train station to pick two of you up after the raid is complete. Who's staying behind to check the machines?" Reno asked.

"I'm absolutely staying to check them." Tseng said.

"I'll check as well." Elena answered.

"I'll hide any evidence of Shinra involvement...in other words, I'm already workin' on what Rufus is gonna say to the papers when asked what happened." Rude assured Tseng.

"Thank you. Keep in mind that it could be me talking to the press so make it general; something that Rufus or me can answer." Rude shook his head in agreement.

"I think we're ready to do this." Cissnei said pulling her fingerless gloves out of her pocket. Tseng nodded.

"We all have at least six rounds, right?" Elena and Rude shook their heads in agreement. "If you don't have a heavy vest on, get it now." he cautioned.

"I got mine." Cissnei said patting her heavily padded chest.

"Mine's in the chopper. I'll put it on when I get in there." leave it to Reno to procrastinate on something that could save his life.

"Alright, headsets are charged. Let's move." Tseng said. It was an intense feeling. They hadn't done a raid like this together in ages. Leave it to Tseng to get the details right….well most of them.

"Let's do this!" Cissnei said shoving her chair backwards. With that said, the five of them checked and double checked their equipment. It was time. Reno was heading for the north elevator to get to the helipad, Rude was close behind him. Cissnei took the south bound stairs that would spit her out closest to the train station. That left Tseng and Elena.

"What's wrong?" Elena questioned as she zipped her jacket after adjusting her vest tighter against her. Tseng looked to the floor.

"Nothing…nothing…just…" he reached out and kissed her as quickly as he could. "Just…be careful. Don't try anything you aren't comfortable with."

"It'll be okay, Tseng. This is business." Elena said squeezing his shoulders. He shook his head. He watched her disappear toward the west stairwell.

"Elena...I…" she had the door half open as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Never mind…I'll meet you there." Tseng said turning around and pulling a radio headset out of his inside jacket pocket. It didn't take Reno and Rude long to get situation on the north helipad.

"There she is." Reno said.

"Damn, I'd forgotten just how wicked those guns are." Rude commented as they approached an already prepared helicopter.

"They don't call 'em Heavy Artillery to nothin' Reno said approaching the opposite side of the chopper to get his bulletproof vest off the front seat. He didn't hesitate to unbutton his white shirt and throw it down with his jacket to put this thing on. Rude checked the cargo hold to ensure there was enough extra ammo to deal some serious damage to the ground below. Once Reno was finally ready to go, he yelled at Rude.

Cissnei could feel her heart racing as she rode the train through a few stops. It always made her nervous to have her shuriken in plain sight of civilians but there were only two more stops to ride through. She nervously tugged at her fingerless gloves as she watched the monitor at the front of the train: NEXT STOP SECTOR 7 OUTER PLATE. Her stop was the Sector 8 inner plate.

Elena walked quickly down the sidewalk. She was alert for anything out of the ordinary. It was a strangely warm and pleasant morning for such a deadly raid. Keeping up such a steady pace would allow her to break in to a sprint when she needed to do so. There was a foul smell of diesel fuel and gasoline in the air….that could only mean that the heavy machines had been successfully corralled by the SOLDIER operatives.

"You moving?" Tseng radioed to Reno.

"In the air, boss." He answered.

"Call when you have Cissnei and Elena in your sights. Tseng answered. Aside from the mere sight of Rude, there was nothing more intimidating than Tseng with a fully loaded .45 in his hand and ready to use it. He looked up toward the windows of the tall buildings that surrounded him. No reflections of heavy machines could be seen…that was possibly a good sign. He could hear Reno's chopper blades, which drew his attention to the sky. The streets were nearly deserted in the section in which he was entering…that could only mean that SOLDIER had it secured.

"Got Elena on my left, boss." Reno radioed to him.

"Good…give me the signal when you see Cissnei." Tseng said feeling a wave of nerves sweep over him knowing that he was going to have to tear out of here like a bat out of hell. The low rumble of machines could be heard…they were close…very close. Tseng always managed to get himself worked up before operations like this and now was no exception. So much could go wrong, and if it did…it would all be placed on him.

"Got Cissnei and Elena in my sights…they're about a block apart…aaaand…they're movin'! They're movin! Go! Go! Go!" Reno shouted into the headset. That was the signal. Tseng cocked his gun and took off down the street running as hard as he could. He could hear Elena's first round of fire begin. He counted the shots as he closed in tighter. The sight of smoke was swallowing the horizon and Tseng could see SOLDIER operative on the outskirts of the secured area. He wondered how they got here since they weren't called in. This wasn't the time to be asking questions.

"Get down! Get down! Get down!" Tseng screamed at the top of his lungs at Elena and Cissnei as he opened fire into a mess of machinery. As planned, a canister of tear gas rained down from the chopper above. Tseng unloaded his round into the half-disabled machines. Elena and Cissnei had already moved to the sides as planned and were regrouping for the next wave. Tseng cleared the way and gave the signal to Reno.

"Holy….shit…" Elena muttered at the sight of all hell pouring down from the sky as she caught her breath. It was an airstrike to be reckoned with and the truth was, it was so intense that it was enough to end this raid faster than anticipated. There would be little movement left after this strike. Elena pulled herself up to her feet again and motioned Cissnei to follow her in tighter to the carnage before them. The fumes were awful after Reno's hellfire from the skies. Elena had lost sight of Tseng but she was confident he wasn't down. Cissnei took out a standing machine and looked up to see Reno circling the scene. He had dropped Rude in the midst of all the chaos. Elena let her guard down a bit as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She caught sight of Tseng on the opposite side of the secured area. The raid had been a success…a very quick success. Reno had the chopper on the ground just as discussed; the blades creating an unwanted windstorm or smoke, shrapnel, and dirt. Elena examined her gun, flipped the safety on and tucked it away inside her jacket.

"I'm gonna head to the chopper! Your checkin' the machines, right?" Cissnei asked coughing amongst the smoke.

"Yeah, get to the chopper, get out of the smoke." Elena insisted. Cissnei nodded and took off. Between Elena, Tseng and now Rude checking the wreckage it wouldn't take long. Either information was there to be stripped or it wasn't.

Twenty minutes later the machines that were on fire had nearly burned out, the smoke was becoming more tolerable, and the air was settling. The chopper blades were still spinning at full speed. Rude's tie blew backwards as he approached the opening chopper door. He climbed inside panting.

"Whew…it's hot out there. The good news is that I found very little information that will directly link those machines to Shinra. The public will view Shinra as the hero that stopped enemy machines invading the city. I suppose because they were illegal, they weren't stamped with a giant Shinra logo." Rude explained as he loosened his tie. It felt a hundred percent better in this chopper than it did out there in the street.

"So, what are we supposed to do with this mess now?" Cissnei asked staring out the window at the massive pile of twisted metal.

"SOLDIER will take care of it. Tseng's already called them in. It will be gone by the evening rush hour and it will be as if nothing out of the ordinary happened here." Rude said.

"And the cover up? You got somethin'?" Reno asked. Rude reached in to his inside jacket pocket.

"In an unexpected assault on Midgar, rogue machinery was apprehended and destroyed by Shinra Company operatives in pursuit of maintaining public safety. The fast action from SOLDIER has ensured that our streets are safe to all. The Department of Administrative Research Director has concluded an investigation of the area and determined the rogue machines to have been falsely labeled with Shinra Company logos. President Rufus Shinra has announced a halt be placed on all incoming machine imports to the city of Midgar until further investigation is concluded." Rude read what he had jotted down on the short ride in the chopper earlier.

"Nice. What about the press? What if they accuse the company of involvement? I mean shit, our people released those machines." Reno questioned.

"I can assure you that the Shinra Electric Power Company was not involved in the production of machines that possess such illegal technology. It is out utmost priority to conduct legal and ethical research on behalf of the people of Midgar." Rude read his scripted answer. Reno laughed.

"Daaamn! You're good man, you're good." Tseng and Elena appeared at the side of the chopper, waiting for Reno to open the door for them. They were both panting from breathing what was left of the toxic fumes.

"My god…what a mess out there." Tseng said taking his headset off and throwing it aside. "SOLDIER 3rd Class is on the way. They know what to expect." Elena waved her hands in front of her face trying desperately to cool off. "Excellent work." Tseng said.

"So, we ready to move out then?" Reno radioed to Tseng not realizing he had already stripped the headset. He turned around and pointed upward since Tseng couldn't hear him. Tseng gave him a thumbs up. With that, the blades beginning screaming faster and before they knew it they were airborne again.

"That went well…very well in fact." Rude said to Tseng.

"It did." He agreed.

"We're a good team, boss." Cissnei said.

"The best." Tseng said as they cruised over Midgar toward the Shinra building once again.


	17. Marijuana Virgin

"Well...you two are obviously gonna be taking some clothes off before the night is over." Cissnei said answering the door in her barely there jean shorts and her bikini top. She had her hair piled on top of her head.

"You obviously forgot to put enough clothes on. My god, Cissnei, your pockets are hanging longer than your shorts!" Tseng said stepping inside. Reno's apartment was quite warm on this balmy June evening thanks to the blowout of his air conditioning. It had been a record high June temperature of 91. There was a fan propped in the window, one in the hallway and one in Reno's bedroom window but on an evening like this it still wasn't enough.

"My god Tseng, if it were Elena's shorts you wouldn't give a shit. Now shut up and get in here!" Cissnei told him.

"What happened to your window unit?" Tseng asked looking at the gaping screen covered hole where it once was installed.

"I wish I knew. The thing just stopped and the new one will be here Monday. Yeah, Cissnei's right. You two are gonna be tearin' clothes off of each other when you're a little bit high and a whole lot sweaty." Reno observed.

"So, is it true that since your birthdays are like...not even a week apart that you both decided that your gift to each other was a four day cruise?" Rude asked.

"That is true. The cruise is in September." Tseng answered him. Rude shook his head.

"You do know that you two have barely even been a couple for an entire month, right?" Rude reminded him. "Eh, who gives a shit. That's wonderful, I hope it's a great cruise."

"Hey…" Reno paused. "Happy birthday! Sorry, that was a delayed reaction." Reno said doing something drug related in his kitchen. And speaking of which…

It was Tseng's 31st birthday in two days and Elena's 30th birthday in seven days. To celebrate, Reno had decided it would be a wonderful idea to get them both drunk and high since he figured neither of them had been high before. This would certainly be an interesting evening.

"Cissnei, will you come in here and help me pour the first round?" Reno asked.

"Yeah." She said going in to the kitchen with Reno.

"My god….this apartment is so hot." Tseng commented.

"Hey! We TOLD you to not wear a lot!" Cissnei yelled back. It didn't take her long to return. "Here….here's to being 31 and…30 and…stuff." She said handing over a shot of something to both Tseng and Elena. She walked over to where Rude was sitting and shoved something in to his hand. "First shot of the night!" Cissnei said tipping her shot glass back. "Reno! What the hell are you doing?" Cissnei asked wondering why he hadn't joined them.

"I'm separating seeds! Drink without me! Don't worry, I'll catch up." Reno yelled back. Tseng and Elena sat down on the loveseat-like piece of furniture and swallowed the first round of the night.

"Raspberry vodka." Elena commented. She knew her liquors and she knew them well.

"So, Rude, is your boy toy coming over tonight?" Cissnei asked.

"He's not my boy toy! We've been out once! And no, he can't come by he's working the late shift tonight." He explained. The most refreshing thing that had happened was that in the last week and a half Rude was officially 'out' to all of his colleagues and what a relief it was….especially knowing that he now always had an open ear to talk to.

"What does he do anyway?" Elena asked over the hum of the fan in the window.

"Midgar City police chief." Rude answered her.

"I can't believe that you're been out with this guy once and you've been talking to him for so long." Elena said.

"Well, we're both incredibly in the closet. Oh my god, Reno!" Rude said noticing the massive green pile that he had sorted out on a plastic plate.

"Oooh is that really marijuana? I wanna touch it." Elena said standing up to examine the plate. Reno laughed.

"Oh my god, this is so funny. You've never done a single drug in your life have you?" Reno asked.

"Does birth control count?" Elena asked poking the green pile.

"No…totally doesn't count." He said.

"Bring that over here, I wanna look at it." Tseng said just as curiously.

"I can't believe I'm showing my boss a pile of weed for the first time in his life. Oooh Tseng, you're funny." Reno said.

"Why do you have such a massive pile, man?" Rude asked.

"Because I knew the five of us could easily smoke all of this." Was Reno's logic. "Now, I'm gonna get this thing ready."

"I'm gonna get that bottle of vodka. We're ready for another shot." Cissnei patted Reno's knee before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Hey, bring me a pitcher of water and a shot glass." Reno called to her.

"Where's the pitcher!" she asked loudly.

"Bottom cabinet on the right." He yelled back at her.

"So, before we get all…high or…whatever I have to ask…about her." Tseng said nodding toward the kitchen and reaching into his pocket. He simply had to tie all that black hair back before it suffocated his neck.

"What about her?" Reno asked smiling all over.

"You two are together aren't you?" Tseng asked finally finding the elastic band he was digging in his pocket for.

"That is true." Reno confirmed.

"Seriously?" Tseng asked pleasantly surprised.

"Well…yeah." He said. "Why?" Reno asked looking up at Tseng from the bong he was packing. "No! No! No! Don't you look at me like that! You of all people know I'm not an asshole! It's been three weeks and I'll have you know I threw my third date rule out the window just to prove a point to her." Reno laughed. "Tonight's a different story though. Have you seen her? You think I'm gonna resist that? Get me a little high and I'm a total whore." Tseng laughed at him.

"You're good for her. She desperately needs…what the hell are you doing with that?" Tseng asked distracted by the packing Reno was completing.

"Oh my god, Tseng! Are you seriously that naïve! Have you never seen anybody do drugs before! What the hell do they teach you people in Wutai?" Reno bitched at him.

"I'm sorry I didn't grow up a drug addict, Reno!" Tseng said. "So, is this going to fuck me up beyond belief" Because, I am really not ready for that."

"Relax! You'll be fine." Reno answered him. "Me and Rude have done this like… a lot and look how good we turned out. Thank you." Reno said looking up and taking the pitcher from Cissnei.

"I'll make a prediction that Tseng will get high and tell us about every woman he's ever been with and what he's done with them. Then Elena will tell us all about RUFUS in GRAPHIC detail." Cissnei said swallowing a shot and pouring one for Reno. He gasped.

"Yes! Yes! Please…god I'm begging you…please tell us all about all the sex with Rufus. God! I've been beggin' you to talk for weeks!" Reno demanded.

"I hate competing with you for the same man!" Cissnei said handing the shot over.

"You and I have a deal…if one of us has the opportunity to blow Rufus we're going to take it…until then we live vicariously through 'Lena!" Reno reminded her quickly downing the shot Cissnei handed to him.

"You two are both seriously fucked up." Rude said.

"Oh hush, you'd fuck Rufus if you had the chance. The only person in this room…no….the only TWO people who don't want to be violating Rufus is the one who ACTUALLY violated him and Tseng." Cissnei said pouring Rude a shot.

"Elena and I have a deal that the last one to bed sets the security system…that's uh…that's nothing at all like your deal…I think I like ours better." Tseng said handing his shot glass over to Cissnei.

"Tseng, you must be insane in bed because you are the most boring man in the world. See, I get to compete with _my _boyfriend to see who can blow Rufus first and you? Well…you have a security system. Here take this shot." Cissnei rolled her eyes. Reno filled the bong with water from the pitcher.

"Hey, go get the lighter from the top of the chest of drawers do you care?" Reno asked Cissnei.

"Yeah, hold on." She said getting up from the couch.

"Okay, so how do we do this?" Elena asked innocently. Reno laughed.

"Well, 'Lena when Cissnei gets back I'll show you. But…you suck it as hard and fast as you can…that shouldn't be a problem for you." He said. Elena just shook her head.

"Here." Cissnei threw the lighter in Reno's lap and plopped back down beside him.

"Okay, watch me." Reno said flicking the lighter and burning the substance before him. "Are you watching! WATCH! You wanna suck it, until the water churns. It's hard to get started though so you two will go last and me and Rude will get this thing going. Now, pay attention." Reno demanded. Elena and Tseng watched but frankly they were a bit confused. Reno pulled his mouth away from the bong after finally getting this thing started. He put his hand over the top of it.

"Make sure you put your hand over the top like that after you hit it." Rude said.

"Why?" Tseng asked.

"So the smoke doesn't creep out the top." Rude said. Reno was still hadn't exhaled. He handed the bong over to Rude.

"Have you ever done this before?" Elena asked Cissnei.

"With SOLDIER yeah, with Reno…no." she answered adjusting the bobby pins on her head. Reno snapped his fingers and pointed to Rude. That meant 'watch, dammit!' He finally exhaled the first plume of smoke into the fan.

"My god, that smells awful. But it's strange because your apartment smells so nice yet…that stuff is horrible smelling. Does it…blend in or something?" Tseng asked. Reno shook his head.

"Oh Tseng…you are so…Tseng-ish. Believe me man, it's fine…it's fine." Reno promised him. "This is some good shit by the way." He looked over at Cissnei.

"Cissnei's next. You two have to decide which of you are gonna hit it first." Rude said handing the bong over to Cissnei.

"Now, just so you two know what to expect. We're all gonna be hungry as hell here in a bit. Don't worry, I've prepared for this because we have lots of different shit to eat in here." Reno promised.

"Okay, here,,,I pick Elena to go first." Elena said handing the bong over.

"Oh, I'm nervous. What if I do it wrong?" Elena said putting her hand over the opening and examining the contraption in her hand.

"It's just like a blow job Elena…you can't do it wrong…you can only do it with commitment or apprehension. Don't you go pickin' the second one!" Reno warned her. "I'll help ya. Don't suck it in too fast and Elena…this is one time you _don't_ wanna swallow."

"Ya know, I…I just don't even have a comment to that." Elena said. "Here, it goes." Elena said letting her inexperience shine through.

"Now, hold it! Hold it, hold it, hold it….hold it…HOLD IT ELENA! Not, yet, not yet…okay now. Breathe out now." Reno instructed her. "Chase it with this vodka." Reno handed the bottle over. "You do exactly what she did." He instructed Tseng.

"Are you sure about this? What if…" Reno cut him off.

"Tseng, shut the hell up and get high before you're thirty-one." Reno said.

"Am I going to do anything…"

"No, you won't." Reno went on.

"Alright, but if I…" he cut Tseng off again.

"Shut up and suck it, Tseng! Yeah…yeah, never had a guy say THAT to you before have you?" Reno laughed.

"Wait…do you think I should…"

"TSENG! SHUT…UP! God, you are so annoying! DO THE DAMN DRUGS!" Cissnei yelled. Tseng didn't waste any more time. He was just as inexperienced as Elena.


	18. Good Clean Fun

"Not yet…not yet…not yet, not yet…wait….wait…okay now." Rude coached Tseng. He coughed miserably.

"Oh my god that is…horrible." He concluded as he took a shot from Elena.

"You won't say that in about six bong hits." Reno said taking it back from him. Reno's phone rang and Cissnei didn't hesitate to answer it.

"Hello? Well heloooooo there!" Cissnei's voice perked up. "Yeah, hold on he's right here." Cissnei put her hand over the phone.

"It's your lover!" she whispered raising her eyebrows, handing over the phone to Rude. Rude snatched it away quickly and darted out of the room.

"Hey, sorry that was Cissnei." He answered it as he left the room quickly.

"I don't get it. He's been talking to that guy for so long yet he gets so nervous." Elena said.

"You know why he's so nervous? Because he wants to fuck this guy and this guy wants to fuck him." Reno said watching Cissnei hand the bong over to Elena. "When me and Cissnei went out with Rude and this guy he was a nervous wreck. If these two would just get all the tense stuff out of the way they might actually have a chance at a relationship." Reno said. Rude returned rather quickly.

"Why didn't he call you on your phone?" Reno asked.

" 'Cause it's charging. I'm gonna call him later when he goes on break." Rude said. Tseng had just taken his second bong hit and handed it over to Rude.

"Why don't you just…I don't know…ask him to do something when you talk to him later?" Tseng said.

"Because, I just can't…it's not that easy." Rude said.

"If I were gay I'd do it!" Tseng said confidently. Rude almost choked on the bong smoke at that comment. Elena and Reno laughed.

"Oh my god…Tseng…you could never…ever be gay" Reno said throwing his head on the back of the couch and putting an arm around Cissnei.

"What! Why? What is un-gay about me?" That made Elena laugh even harder and she wasn't even high yet. Rude handed the bong back to Reno.

"Well, first of all Tseng, you spend a lot of time in Elena. Now, unless they've changed the rules since say…yesterday…I'm pretty sure that's uh…that's pretty damn straight. Secondly, it's your hair. The gay community isn't in to long hair."

"What! Elena loves my hair!" Tseng argued him. Rude laughed.

"Elena isn't the gay community."

"What about Reno's hair! It's longer than mine!" Tseng pointed out.

"That's different. To Reno, the world is a buffet. He's willing to try it all but all of it isn't ready for him. See, Reno wins over the guys that are curious enough to experiment yet unwilling to admit their curiosity. That makes his long hair okay…now if he were gay it totally wouldn't' work." Rude explained.

"That…makes absolutely no sense. My god, it's so freakin' hot in here!" Tseng said peeling off the polo shirt he was wearing over the t-shirt underneath.

"Man, you are partially high, already." Reno said as Cissnei passed the bong off to Elena.

"He's right…you were right. We wore too many clothes. I'm burning up too." Elena admitted. Cissnei got up from the couch as Elena less clumsily hit the bong.

"Here, put this on." Cissnei said returning and throwing something at Elena.

"A bikini! You got me a bikini?" Elena asked examining the barely there nature of it.

"Hey! You said you were burning up in here! Now put it on!" Cissnei said wondering why Elena wouldn't just strip down to her bra and underwear. Naturally, Cissnei's curiosity got the best of her. "Why don't you just strip down to your underwear? None of us give a shit. Your boyfriend is down to a t-shirt and he will probably take a little more off before the night's over. So again…what's wrong with just stripping what you have?" she said.

"Because I'm not wearing a bra since there is one built in to this top and I'm wearing a thong which no one here except for him wants to see! Oh my god, sorry...I didn't mean to semi-poke your eye out. I think I might…be getting' a little high or drunk or…somethin' " Elena said rubbing the side of Tseng's face.

" 'Lena...you get as naked as you want, girl. Cissnei wants to join you." Reno said looking at Cissnei. She stared back at him.

"You get as naked as YOU want." she said swallowing another shot. Reno grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Will you join me instead?" he questioned.

"Hell yeah, I will!" Cissnei promised. Elena had left to change.

"So, Tseng why did you wear pants over here? Seriously, me and Rude are in shorts but you…you had to go for the pants thing. Why you gotta go do that?" Reno asked.

"Because! I didn't expect your stupid air conditioning unit to be broken!" Tseng said.

"But still….you're wearing pants!" Reno argued.

"Hey, I never once said that...oh wow that's hot." Tseng said noticing that Elena had returned. Rude gasped.

"I would NOT hit that whatso…oh my god you have a bellybutton ring. Shit, that looks like a diamond. Get over here!" he said. On second thought, I might hit that if I were incredibly drunk…I mean, we're talkin' insane drunk." Elena laughed and walked over to Rude.

"Cissnei! This doesn't even match!" Elena pointed out. Cissnei looked at Elena for what seemed like a long time before saying anything.

"Huh…well look at that! You DO have a belly button ring. Oh my god…what did Rufus say when saw _that_! Mmm…don't tell me! I bet he was ready to freakin' blow his load all over you." Cissnei shook her head with gritted teeth before hitting the bong again. For whatever reason, that comment sent Reno into a fit of laughter…quite possibly the first marijuana induced laughter fit of the evening. She held her finger in the air as if she were going to say something else.

"Is this real?" Rude asked Elena touching her stomach.

"It IS real. One and three-quarter karat to be exact." Elena said.

"So, forget Rufus, what did _he _say when he saw this?" Rude asked nodding toward Tseng. Elena laughed again.

"Oh, baby you don't wanna know." Elena said before sitting down beside Tseng again.

"I won't lie, Rude…it was…you know, I'll leave it to your imagination." He said. Rude laughed.

"Reno…what the fuck are you laughin' at?" Rude asked, shifting his attention. Cissnei handed the bong over to Elena.

"Oh my god! That bikini doesn't match at all!" Cissnei finally said.

"Nice delayed reaction there, Cissnei." Elena said taking the bong from her.

"I swear…she just says any damn thing that comes to her mind. She just used Rufus and load and blow in the same sentence." Reno said still laughing at her.

"Hey! Shut up! I can use _your _name and blow in the same sentence!" Cissnei said.

"Okay…I'm waiting." Reno said putting an arm around her and wiping the tears from his eyes. Cissnei leaned over and practically shoved her lips into his ear. Tseng shook his head as he took the bong from Elena.

"I can slice the sexual tension between you two with a knife." He said.

"You don't know tension…I'm scared to death she's gonna claw my eyes if I don't have some sex with her. Clearly, Cissnei doesn't like to wait for anything." Reno explained.

"Come over here! I wanna see that rock in your stomach." Cissnei said reaching her hand out toward Elena, who was in the middle of a long bong hit. As she held the toxic smoke in, she handed it over to Tseng and walked over to Cissnei.

"You know what, Tseng? You should be proud of me…and stuff….because it's been over three weeks and she and I have…well we haven't done anything that you always get pissed at both of use for doing too soon." Reno defended himself and Cissnei.

"I want one of these!" Cissnei said practically jamming her face into Elena's stomach. "But I can't afford a real diamond so mine wouldn't look as hot."

"Yes it would!" Reno said shoving her over into the side of the couch. Tseng passed the bong along to Rude.

"Shit…I kind of think I might be high but I don't really know because I've never been high and…oh god Leviathan would not condone this kind of…am I high?" Tseng rambled on a bit before reaching out and grabbing Elena's arm. That only sent Reno into another fit of laugher and Rude practically choked on the bong smoke.

"Shit…he is so high." Reno mumbled into Cissnei's shoulder.

"Yeah, you know Tseng you're pretty fucked so here…chase that smoke with this vodka." Cissnei said handing the bottle over. "And who the hell cares if a giant snake, eel like dragon thing gets pissed…it's not even real!" she added. Tseng gasped.

"Cissnei, you never…_ever_ talk about Leviathan like that!" Tseng scolded her.

"Tseng! The damn thing isn't even real and yet you people worship it or whatever!" Cissnei argued with him.

"It's not a _thing_…it's a way of…this apartment is so damn hot, Reno!" Tseng said completely losing his train of thought and struggling to get his t-shirt off, convinced that was the best solution right now.

"Oh god, now they're both getting naked." Rude said.

"Give that bong to Tseng again. Let him hit that thing again 'case he needs to get higher. I'll pack it again after he's done." Reno said.

"Yeah, that's smart. Let our already high boss get even more fucked up." Rude said sarcastically.

"I think it's an excellent idea. Tseng, hit this then give it to Elena." Reno instructed him.

"I say we start drinking tequila and see what happens." Cissnei said.

"You just want to get naked. Tequila makes you get naked." Reno said.

"How the hell would you know that! She asked grabbing Reno's phone and laying across his lap.

"Because, SOLDIER loves to pour tequila down you." Reno said putting his hands on her stomach.

"I think you just want me to get naked." Cissnei said flipping through his phone.

"Hey, I'm ready when you are." Reno winked at her.

"Yeah…yeah…tequila…we should…we should totally do some of that. Tseng, don't you…don't you totally think we should dome some of that?" Elena asked taking the bong from him.

"Elena, I think…I think we should do _everything_. We should do like…everything because…because I am so…so freakin' in love with you!" Tseng said putting his arms around her, causing her to nearly spill bong water all over her.

"Waaaaaiiit, whoa, whoa, whoa….you're in what with me?" Elena asked rather surprised. Rude and Reno were both more than amused by this.

"Holy shit man, you two are in love an stuff?" Reno asked.

"Well, Reno we've never actually talked about this before!" Elena said slightly on the loud side.

"Oh hell yeah, we're gonna talk about it now!" Reno said simply delighted.

"God, Tseng you take your women as seriously as you take your job…maybe even a little more seriously than you take your job." Rude remarked.

"What! I do love her. I love you Elena. I love you high or sober." Tseng said. Perhaps this was a conversation better suited for a time when he and Elena were maybe alone and a lot less high.

"How you gonna respond to that one, Elena?" Rude asked.

"Like this." She answered handing the bong to Cissnei. She reached a hand out to Tseng's cheek and pulled his lips in to hers.

"Shit…that's the hottest kiss I think I've ever seen in my life that I haven't been a part of." Reno said. "But Elena…as hot as that is…do you love him back?" Reno just HAD to know. She pulled her lips away and picked up the unopened tequila bottle.

"Yes, I do Reno…yes I do." Elena said with confidence as she popped the seal on the tequila.

"Okay, but don't go thinkin' you can have sex on that loveseat 'cause you CAN'T! Me and Cissnei haven't even done anything there." He explained.

"You have beautiful breasts!" Cissnei said to Elena out of nowhere.

"I think you and Elena should get topless and freak Rude out." Reno said.

"Shut up." Cissnei said yanking the tequila bottle away from Elena. Tseng had gotten up and headed down the hallway.

"Oh my god! Reno! How long has this laundry been laying here!" Tseng asked half-mortified.

"What the…I don't know, man…like…like two days or somethin'?" Reno answered before hitting the bong again.

"You can't just…I'll fix this!" Tseng called back to him.

"Tseng…man, what the fuck are you…Are...are you...doing my laundry?" Reno asked wiggling around on the couch to peering down the hall at the sight of Tseng sorting Reno's dirty laundry into excessively neat piles.

"Don't worry Reno, I can completely take care of this for you. We're gonna need some dryer sheets. Do you have any dryer sheets?" Tseng asked. Rude was laughing hysterically and leaning over on Elena from laughing so hard. He had moved over beside her to be closer to the bong.

"Wow...it's...it's seriously okay, Tseng. See, unlike you...I'm not a COMPULSIVE MANIAC! I live in a world where people are allowed to make a mess! Now, I know the mere sight of a towel on the floor for more than say thirty minutes is enough to make you faint but really man, no matter how high you are you don't have to...oh look at that you started the wash cycle. Wait...wait what are you gonna do with that cleaner and those paper towels?" Reno asked. That only made Rude laugh harder.

"Don't worry, this will only take a minute." Tseng promised Reno as he started cleaning the top of Reno's washer.

"Okay...well while he's...doing that we'll just have some more to...I swear Rude that's the straightest I've ever seen you look." Reno said as he watched Rude's head fall over in Elena's lap.

"Why don't you do that Cissnei?" Elena asked so tickled she could hardly catch her breath.

"Yeah, why don't you do that, Cissnei?" Reno said winking at her again.

"Hey! You know what...RENO?" she shoved her middle finger into his face. Reno grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Elena! Elena, come help me clean out this hallway closet!" Tseng called to her. Rude still hadn't recovered from his first laughter fit, let alone adding this on top of it. Reno's head hit the back of his couch.

"Good god, who would have thought that weed would make Tseng clean even more than he normally does and on top of that painfully honest?" Reno said. " 'Lena…go do somethin' about your boyfriend. Reno interlaced his fingers with Cissnei's.

"Tseng! Tseng, darling…come here. Here come on, we can't clean Reno's apartment tonight. We don't even have our cleaning supplies." Elena said moving down the hallway clumsily and putting her arms around Tseng. She pulled him away from this cleaning project before it got completely out of control.

"Should we come back tomorrow with our supplies?" Tseng asked Elena as she directed him back into the living room. She sat him down beside Rude and pulled her fingers through long hair; pulling it down and retying the elastic band around it.

"No honey, we shouldn't. It's going to be okay." Elena promised him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't mean to…" Rude couldn't finish his sentence for laughing so hard.

"Why is your forehead on my thigh?" Tseng asked him. "Speaking of that…have I ever told you how Elena says that Rufus doesn't have a clue how to go down on a woman?"

"My god, Tseng. I am so gonna get you high every single weekend 'cause you are killin' me. And please…PLEASE tell me about that." Reno said delighted. This could go on all night at this rate.


	19. The Absolute Best

"Hey…did I wake you up?" Rude asked. It was a ridiculous question. Tseng didn't answer right away because he was still insanely stoned and panting like crazy. He wasn't asleep.

"No…" Tseng answered him quickly.

"Okay, good. Listen, are you having any wild…porn star sex?" Rude questioned. Rude couldn't see it, obviously but Tseng looked at Elena.

"No…just the regular kind…I mean the…the really good regular kind…but still…the regular…god Rude that was unbelievable." He said.

"Please…my god I'm begging you…can I PLEASE come over there and spend the night? I've been trying to go to sleep for over an hour and I can't because this place is a freakin' live porn show. I'm not riding the train back to my place. It's way too long of a ride.

"Well, yeah, yeah, yeah…yeah. Come on over. Me and Elena aren't doin' any…porn stuff…but my god she's…she's so good. Wait…what the hell was that?" Tseng asked finally catching his breath.

"Oh that? That was Cissnei. That's mild compared to what I've put up with. I could have made money off these two. I'll be over in ten minutes." Rude said hanging up the phone shortly thereafter.

"Rude's coming over?" A very naked Elena asked.

"Yeah…yeah he says Reno and Cissnei are fucking like it's nobody's business and he can't take it anymore. Elena laughed. "Well, it's a good thing he didn't call two minutes ago." She said.

"If he would have called two minutes ago there is no way in hell I would have answered the phone." Tseng said laying back down beside Elena exhaustedly. "Elena…I think I'm still really stoned."

"Yeah, me too." Elena said rolling over and throwing an arm over him. "I need to go make that guest bed up. I never made it back after we stripped it." Elena said pushing herself up.

"Here, here…I'll help you. My god, I am so dizzy…and I think it's for more than just one reason." Tseng said sitting up with Elena. They looked at each other for a moment without saying a word. Each of them had a dazed look on their faces. Elena shook her head.

"We are so fucked, baby." Tseng laughed at her, which only made Elena laugh.

"Yeah…yeah we are. Hey uh…I need to…I need to take a shower because I'm like…I'm sweatin' like crazy." Tseng answered her.

"I know you are, darling. You…you did a lot of work aaaaand…and I laid underneath you…not doing a lot of work." Elena slightly slurred her words.

"You get in the shower and I'll…I'll go downstairs and start making up that guest bed." Elena kissed him before rolling clumsily out of her side of the bed.

Back in Reno's hot apartment, things couldn't have been any more intense. Cissnei was covered in sweat, her hair sticking to the sides of her head. Even though the fan in the window was pulling the cool night air in; it couldn't keep up with these two. Reno could see the remnants of Cissnei's tan lines in the faint light from her trip to Costa del Sol. And speaking of Costa del Sol…Cissnei had completely forgotten about the sex that had gotten her in to so much trouble there…because this…_this_ was by far…the best sex she had ever had in her life. She had never begged for a man liked this before. The sad truth was that Cissnei had been through more men than her own age so she had quite the frame of reference to base it on. The louder she panted and heaved for him, the more Reno proved to her just exactly what she had been missing out on. Reno thought certain his neighbor could hear her desperate pleas but he didn't give a shit…Cissnei was about to climax and it was going to be a hard one. She dug her fingernails into his upper arms. Reno was shocked to feel how tight Cissnei's body was…despite her typical habits. She adored Reno's raw aggression, the animalistic nature of how he just took her and how he had her hanging on the moment. It was almost painful in fact, the way he would bring her so terribly close, then back her away from her climax. In the eventual moment when she did come, Reno would have something to be quite proud of.

Rude shook his head. "Was the wind blowing like hell when you two left Reno's?" he asked as Elena opened the door. He didn't wait for an answer as he stepped inside and looked at his phone. "Oh my god, this house feels eight thousand times better than Reno's apartment could ever feel OR sound." Rude emphasized.

"Well, we had the air on until we came back from Reno's then we turned it off when we realized the wind was like…moving…and stuff." Elena said rather questionably.

"Really? Like, totally." Rude said making fun of her. Elena laughed stupidly as Rude appeared to be sending a text.

"Hey! Do you want some Wutai stuff? Hold on…last night Tseng made a noodle dish. I'll warm some of it up for you." Elena said.

"Oh Elena, you're just as sweet high as you are sober. Oh my god…I have…I have never seen you with wet hair." Rude said as Tseng came down the staircase. "Did you know that…that's it's black? I mean…it's blacker than the normal black that it is…why is that, man?"

"Just so you and I are clear…I am so fucked right now and I have no idea what you just asked me." Tseng admitted. Rude laughed at him.

"Heeeere you go!" Elena chimed as she shoved a bowl of noodles toward Rude.

"Thank you sweetie, you're too kind." Rude said taking the bowl from her. "What the hell kinda' noodle dish is this anyway?" Rude examined it carefully before tasting it.

"Well, it's a traditional Wutai dish but the irony is that it's Tarahyn's recipe." Tseng said resting his head on the back of the couch. Rude's phone made a noise and he sat the bowl down to read the message he had received.

"Really? Hell, I didn't know Tarahyn could even cook." Rude said texting away.

"Who are you texting so eagerly?" Elena asked. Rude laughed stupidly. Elena didn't give him a chance to answer. "Oooh it's your guy friend isn't it?" Rude laughed at her again. "Rude, don't you lie to me! It's him isn't it?"

"Yes." Rude answered.

"Oooooh! Tell him to come over when he gets off work!" Elena said.

"You should! You should tell him to come over here." Tseng agreed with Elena. Rude shook his head as he tasted the noodle dish.

"I can't do that. You two are both fucked and if I would do that and he actually _would _come over here he and I would end up making out on your couch." Rude admitted.

"So? My couch is clean." Tseng said. Rude laughed at him.

"No! He's serious! We never fuck on the couch." Elena said. That only made Rude laugh harder.

"Don't worry, the guest bed is clean too." Tseng assured him.

"But you can mess it up with your man if you want." Elena winked at him. It appeared that it was taking all Tseng had to process what Elena had just said.

"Oooh I get it now. Rude, I'm pretty sure she's talking about guy on guy sex. You gonna have some of that? So, how exactly do all the parts work in this application?" Tseng finally said. That only made Rude and Elena laugh harder.

"Tseng, I'll explain it to you. Rude has to invite his man over here first." Elena said wiping the tears from her eyes.

Cissnei was so hoarse she hardly had a voice as she sat there gasping and wheezing. Reno was almost as breathless as she was as he laid there beside her. They had thrown every blanket and sheet on the bed to the floor in a twisted wad. "That...that was…that…oooooh my god Reno that was the best sex I've ever had!" Reno pushed himself up so he was sitting up beside Cissnei.

"After you got back from Costa del Sol you told me Zack Fair was the best sex you've ever had." Reno said.

"Oooh fuck Zack, Reno….fuck Zack…he….he…ooooh can't do what you do. Oooh my god…he…he sure as hell can't do that." Cissnei panted. She leaned back against him a bit. Reno kissed the side of her face.

"So, you wanna get higher and then come back and do that again in say…an hour or somethin'?" Reno turned her face sideways and pressed his lips into hers. Cissnei had barely caught her breath.

"Yes…yes I do…oooh god yes how I want to do that again." Cissnei said passionately. He kissed her again and wrapped his arms around her despite the fact that they were both sweating miserably. It was the first time any man had ever put his arms around her like this. She looked into his hazy eyes, hers just as glazed over. "Your hands are really soft." She whispered.

"No, no, no! I'm not inviting him over here. I think you two need to go to bed because you are both so high and your ideas are ridiculous."

"Wait, what do you mean our ideas are ridiculous? We…we come up with great ideas!" Tseng insisted.

"Tseng, take Elena…and go to bed. I'm going to call him later but I'm NOT inviting him over." Rude insisted.

"That's fine, Rude…whatever. But you should know…no one's had any kind of sex in that spare bedroom since Reno dated that Pilates instructor." Tseng said.

"Oooooh god! Tseng! That was….that was the stupidest thing Reno has ever done because you know as well as I do that things happened so fast that night that there was no protection involved.

"Now that you mention it…I probably should have burned that mattress." Tseng said. "Hey…I have…I have a question that I've always wondered about. So, if you're like a guy and you're with another guy…does anyone wear a condom?" It was the stupidest, most marijuana-induced question ever and it sent Rude and Elena into a near screaming fit of laughter. Just then Rude's phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered it.

"OH MY GOD! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHY AREN'T YOU AT TMY APARTMENT!" Reno practically screamed into the phone.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey…you and Cissnei were goin' at it like there was no tomorrow. Reno, I've never HEARD action like that. I HAD to get out of your apartment. You left me with no choice!" Rude said.

"Man…what can I say…we we're havin' fun like you wouldn't believe. Hell of a lot more than you got tonight." Reno said.

"Shut up! Stupid!" Rude said.

"So where are you?" Reno asked.

"At Tseng's place. I'm watching Elena have a laughing fit in his lap." Rude answered.

"Okay, well me and Cissnei are hitting the bong again and we just wondered where you were." Reno said. "We'll see you tomorrow. Believe me Rude…we have things to do." Reno said emphatically.

"I'm somehow very glad I'm not there…it's gonna get kinky isn't it?" Rude asked.

"Hell yeah it is!" Reno promised him.

"And that my friend, is why I'm so happy to be at Tseng's." Rude said. "I'll catch ya some time tomorrow. Night." Rude said before hanging up the phone. "Okay so…they're….doing a lot of drugs an having a lot of sex."

"We had a lot of sex…earlier." Tseng said. "We should have more…in fact….we might. Are you okay with that?" Tseng asked Rude.

"Why the hell are you asking me something like that? You're gonna fuck her no matter what I say. Just don't let me hear too much." Rude said.

"In that case goodnight Rude, there is crap in the guestroom." Tseng said before taking Elena back upstairs.


	20. Like a Daughter

Life underneath the plate was truly awful. It was hot in the summer, freezing in the winter, noisy, dirty and crime infested. Tseng had plenty of reason to worry about her, yet Aerith Gainsborough took life under the plate with a carefree and somewhat naïve attitude. He had been walking around the slums with her for nearly two hours but now he sat with her amidst a pile of rubble from the plate above. The plate above shook and a thunderous roar filled the stale, polluted air as the train ran by above.

"I just have a bad feeling, that's all." Tseng said. Aerith laughed.

"There's nothing for you to worry about. Zack will take care of me." Aerith said happily. Tseng was silent.

"What?" Aerith asked, sensing Tseng's discomfort.

"You're still with him?" Tseng questioned her.

"Why don't you like him?" Aerith insisted.

"It's not that I don't like him…he hurt you."

"He didn't mean to. He didn't mean to do it." Aerith defended him.

"Bullshit…bullshit…bullshit…BULLSHIT, Aerith! Don't be so stupid about this. You can't see everyone through rose-colored glasses." Tseng said rather irritated at her defending Zack the way she was. He sighed.

"He's been in Midgar for two weeks." Tseng paused. "I'm going to ask you something and you have to tell me the truth…how far?" She didn't say anything for a moment. Aerith stared at the ground.

"Oh my god…." Tseng whispered. He put his hand to his forehead. "Aerith…" Aerith stood up and pointed a finger at Tseng.

"Look Tseng! I'm not little anymore!" Aerith insisted.

"You don't get it! He did it once he's going to do it again and you know exactly what I mean!" Tseng said.

"Why do you hate Zack?" she asked.

"I don't. I don't, Aerith. It's just…you…I…I need to keep you safe." Tseng said softly.

"Well, maybe…maybe I don't want to be kept safe." She said crossing her arms and turning her back. Tseng shook his head with worry.

"You just don't get it, Aerith! You just don't get it! Do you have any idea what could happen to you! Sit down…sit down with me." Tseng said tugging on the back of her dress.

"He's very gentle with me." She said. Tseng shook his head. He was absolutely disgusted with Aerith.

"You're coming with me." Tseng said standing up and pulling her up with him.

"Why!" Aerith insisted.

"Because, I'm taking you to the damn medical floor and they are going to test you for everything." Tseng insisted, more than irritated with her.

"No! No! Tseng! No! Please, please don't take me above the plate! I'm scared!" Aerith said frantically trying to resist him.

"Aerith! You have NO idea what Mako could do to you, okay! You have no idea the effects that trace amounts of Mako could have on you! It could kill you! If you have even the slightest amount of Mako traces…there's no telling for sure what will happen. Do you trust me! Do you trust me Aerith!" Tseng insisted. Aerith was in near tears.

"Yes." She answered, giving in to him and knowing good and well that she in fact did trust him.

"Then you…are coming with me." He said seemingly making it all final. Back at the Shinra Building it was a busy afternoon.

"Yes! Yes I have the suit!" Elena said angrily. The last thing in the word she wanted was to be Rufus Shinra's bitch for the afternoon but with Tseng away it was the perfect opportunity for him to flex a little bit of authority.

"If it were me with Rufus's 5,500 gil suit…I would do anything he wanted me to do." Cissnei said on the phone to Elena.

"You're with Reno and he's crazy about you. How would he feel knowing you wouldn't waste a second to dress Rufus!" Elena asked exasperated.

"Believe me, Reno would dress Rufus too if he had the chance. We have a deal remember?" Cissnei said.

'Whatever…I'm getting ready to get in to the elevator. I dread this. I'll meet you on the 69th floor terrace." Elena said. She sighed and held up the clear garment bag in front of her. It was an absolutely stunning suit. Elena practically drooled over the thought of how beautiful her own man would look in it. The elevator shot up to the 70th floor and the doors flung open. She didn't even knock on Rufus's office door.

"Elena! Good to see you as always. How does it look?" Rufus asked her.

"To put it simply, it's gorgeous." Elena said handing it over. Rufus' smile was toxically dangerous.

"I trust that you don't mind…tucking my shirt in." Rufus asked. Elena swallowed hard. Without Tseng in the building this was going to be difficult to wiggle out of. She thought hard for a moment as she watched Rufus shed his white silken blended shirt for the more luxurious silver-toned silken one. She smiled and reached out and grabbed him by his leather belt, pulling him up against her to the point where she actually intended it to be sexual in nature. She looked his square in those gorgeous sapphire eyes.

"Baby…it's so cruel…but I'm still in love with Judas, baby…" she said. Thank goodness for pop culture. Rufus despised being second best to another man. He had _never_ been second best to anyone in his life.

"Why him?" he asked point blank.

"Oh Rufus, you know what they say…about a Wutai man…it's all so true." Elena whispered as she slung his suit jacket over his clean shirt, running her fingers along the edges.

"What do they say about a man in power, Elena?" Rufus asked her.

"Well, I've heard that men who thrive on power…are uh…overcompensating for something else." Elena smiled all over as Rufus buttoned the stunning silver dress shirt. "Oh, it's the sexiest suit I've ever seen. You know I have a weakness…for a man in a suit? Such fine fabrics...for the finest of men, Rufus." Her comments were viciously sexy and she sure as hell wasn't referring to Rufus.

The doors flew open and Tseng drug Aerith down the long hallway. "I need the head OB/GYN nurse now!" Tseng said to whomever would answer him. Aerith trusted Tseng with all her being though she was terrified right now. All the Shinra hospital staff eyes were on Aerith. It was as if Tseng had just pulled the holy grail through the door.

"Yes sir, right away sir!" the head nurse called to him as she hurried away yelling for the head nurse. Aerith clung to Tseng tightly, hiding behind him the best she could. A small swarm of lab coats came rushing down the hall. Tseng forced Aerith to his side.

"Potential mako poisoning, potential sterility. Run every test you can run, swab anything you can swab and damn it let NO ONE know she's here do you hear me!" Tseng yelled at the nurse. "Call me when all the tests are complete." Tseng said as the head nurse took Aerith.

"Tseng!" Aerith called to him.

"It's okay. Just relax. I'll be back for you." Tseng promised her.

The head nurse grabbed Aerith and pulled her down the hallway. "We need a gown now! Order 8 empty vials! We need an exam room and a prep kit!" The nurse yelled as she protected Aerith from view. Tseng found himself standing at the nurses station watching her file being pulled urgently.

"Tseng, how did she come in contact with mako?" The nurse asked scribbling some information into Aerith's file. "Tseng? Sir?" the nurse repeated but all she saw was a black streak leaving the swinging doors just as quickly as he had entered them. He absolutely broke down in the hallway toward the elevator.

Cissnei, Rude and Reno were on the 69th floor terrace talking to a photographer. They were running thirty minutes late. This was the day of the photo session for the annual Shinra publication. "Where the hell is Tseng? Where's SOLDIER? Where…shit…where is everyone that's supposed to be here right now!" Rude asked Reno rather frantically.

"No clue where Tseng is. Cissnei will have SOLDIER up here in about twenty seconds. And where is Rufus?" Reno asked.

"Well, he obviously has Elena tied up…perhaps even literally." Rude said.

"We seriously need to get this over with." Reno said. Just then a set of doors came open.

"Move Kunsel! I'm sick of dealing with you! MOVE!" Cissnei said shoving on him. "You too stupid! Come on! We have pictures to shoot!" She said rushing her brood out of the elevator.

"Where should we be?" Kunsel asked Cissnei.

"I don't know! Just stand over there and wait! God! I get so sick of your crap!" she yelled at him.

"I love you too!" Kunsel yelled back at her. She rolled her eyes and joined Reno and Rude. She sighed.

"Rounding that bunch up was worse than dealing with a room full of five year olds. Where's Rufus? Elena got to dress him and the suit is over the top beautiful. I want to see if I can get my hands on the lining of it."

"Hello! Not if I get my hands in there first!" Reno reminded her poking her back.

"Reno…Rufus does not want you…whatsoever. I actually have a chance." She said leaning up against him.

"No you don't!" Rude reminded her. Speak of the devil and he shall appear…with Elena at his side of course. "Holy….look at that…" he said lowering his sunglasses to get an eyeful of Rufus Shinra's knockout of a suit. Cissnei gasped.

"I think I just came a little bit. Look at that fabric! Oooh I bet it's soft as…ooooh…I think I'm gonna faint." Cissnei said leaning over on Reno.

"I bet you every bit of money I have that Elena will have that suit after this photo shoot. Rufus never wears the same suit twice for these things and I guarantee you she picked it out with Tseng in mind. You watch, that beauty will be at a tailor's tomorrow." Rude said.

"How do you know that?" Cissnei asked.

"Well, it's quite obvious. Look at the shirt he's wearing underneath it. It's a silver-pale gray blend…gorgeous if you ask me and ideal for the deep black of the suit. But…it doesn't do much for a blond like Rufus. However…if your hair's black…and you wear a suit like that into a room…you're gonna steal every eye in there." Rude deduced.

"Man…that is the single most observant and smartest thing I've ever heard in my life!" Reno said.

"Rude I'm so glad you're gay and have amazing style sense." Cissnei said shaking her head. They watched Elena hang the garment bag nearby and then she put the finishing touch on everything…

"Did she unbutton two or three buttons on that shirt! Never mind! It doesn't matter it's PERFECT!" Reno said.

"What in the world are you three staring at so…hungrily?" Elena asked walking over and joining them.

"Rufus." The answer was in complete unison.

"Ugh…please. So uh…what do you think of the suit? Tseng's going to look absolutely fuck-worthy isn't he?" Elena asked.

"See! I told you! I told you!" Rude said snapping out of his staring fixation.

"Oh! I can't believe I'm saying this but…YES!" Reno said. Elena laughed.

"I know…he's going to take it on that cruise with us when we leave this fall. Oooh god that's gonna be a good cruise." Elena said rather dreamily. This conversation would have most certainly gotten more detailed had Rude's phone not rung.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm up here waiting to get this photo shoot under way. Yeah, I can do that. Okay. O…okay sounds great. I'll meet you there at 2:00. Bye." Rude hung quickly.

"You're smiling like a moron so that had to be the guy you're so desperately trying to fuck." Elena said.

"It may have been." Rude said.

"Oh my god! You're meeting him for lunch at two; then you just watch you'll be getting laid by 3:30." Elena promised him. An elevator door dinged open and Tseng appeared from the 69th floor. Elena looked over at him, her expression suddenly very serious. He had been gone for quite some time.

"Something's bad wrong." Elena said.

"How do you know?" Rude said looking in Elena's direction.

"I can just tell." She left Rude's side and hurried over to him. "Hey…what's going on?" She asked pulling Tseng out of view for a moment. He had the most miserable of looks on his face.

"Her results indicate a 2.2 percent mako presence." Tseng said, sickness in his voice.

"Huh?" Elena said, having no clue what he was talking about.

"Aerith Gainsborough…last of the Ancients…slept with Zack a little less than a week ago…unprotected." Tseng told her.

"Oh my god…" was all Elena could utter. She knew how devastating this must be to Tseng.

"She doesn't even realize what that much concentrated mako could have done to her! She just…she…" Elena cut him off.

"It's okay, Tseng. You've watched over her for a long time. I know she's the last of her kind but…" Elena shook her head. "What she did was stupid because it could be a lot worse right now but you have to remember, Tseng…that's her boyfriend and he's gone all the time. It was only a matter of time before she slept with him. Now, I'm not defending her or him…I'm not siding with them…I'm just sayin'. Think about that part." Tseng shook his head.

"It's hard…because I…she's still 12 to me, Elena. She's still…she's…" Elena stopped him.

"I know…she will never been a grown woman to you and that's okay. You can't make her decisions for her but what you can do…is exactly what you've done for years and that is watch her…and keep her out of harms way." He shook his head again. "Do they know she's here?" Elena asked nodding his head toward Reno, Rude, Cissnei and Rufus.

"No." Tseng answered as he shifted his eyes toward the cement. He looked up as the photographer called for 'the director and the president.' "My god…that…is one hell of a suit."

"It is isn't it? It will be yours by Wednesday." Elena said. Tseng looked at her.

"You picked that out for him?" he asked.

"No, I picked it out for you…he just happens to be wearing it." Elena laughed. "Silver…doesn't do a damn thing for a blonde. Get over there…you're wanted with the president." Elena put her hand in the middle of his back.

"Do me a favor…go check on her. She on the medical floor, room G. The photographer will wait on you." Tseng said. Elena nodded and left through the back stairwell without saying a word.

"Yeah! Well, I…would let him handcuff me to his sold cherry desk, gag me with whatever he wanted and let him absolutely have his way with me. I'd even let him video the whole thing with his phone and stream it through the Shinra News circuit." Cissnei said.

"Both of you…have issues. Cissnei, that will never, ever happen! And Reno? Rufus would never in a million years make out with you in the VIP room of a club! My god Reno! He'd never even go to a club!" Rude said.

"Don't crush my dream, Rude! Ssshhh! Here he comes! He's walking over here to talk to us. I guess that was the only picture they needed. Rude! Distract Tseng!" Reno said.

"Hey Rufus….sir. You…look….amazing." Cissnei said with heavy eyes as he joined Rufus Rude, Reno and Cissnei. Tseng was close by as the photographer called for Lazard and the present members of SOLDIER.

"Thank you." He said to her. "Where's Elena?"

"That's not important. What really matters is now nice you smell." Reno told him. Rufus gave Reno the strangest of looks.

"I've always thought that you were one hell of a pilot….but weird as fuck." Was Rufus's uninterested reply.

"I need a Turk for this picture please." The photographer yelled.

"SHE'LL DO IT!" Reno yelled shoving Cissnei toward the SOLDIER group and the photographer.

"What the…RENO! Oh! I hate you so much." Cissnei hissed at him as she walked over toward Kunsel. Kunsel watched her closely. "Kunsel, move the hell over. I have to be with Lazard." Rude walked over to Tseng as Reno tried every line he could possibly think of on Rufus with no avail.


	21. Judas

"You okay?" he asked as he looked at his phone.

"Yeah, yeah….I'm…if this is the way a father feels as his daughter gets older…then I don't ever want to be one." He said calmly. Rude had a strange look on his face.

"Just so we're clear, boss…that's the weirdest I've ever heard you say….which includes anything that came out of your mouth when you were baked as hell three nights ago."

"Rude…did I just hear Reno ask Rufus if he drank cognac?" Tseng asked watching the photographer and Cissnei rearrange the SOLDIER group for the picture. "And…yeah….I know…"

"Yes! Yes, you did…don't ask. It's….it's Reno." Rude said sighing. "Hmm…Cissnei's been with that entire second row of SOLDIER. I would say that's awkward but the awkward pictures haven't even happened yet. Damn Shinra bulletin. You do realize….eventually it's gonna be you, Elena and Rufus, right?"

"I know. And what's even more awkward….is that…that suit that cost in excess of 5,000 gil…wasn't even chosen for _him._ He would simply…Rufus doesn't like to be second best, Rude. He does _not _like to be second best."

Elena hesitated before knocking on the door: EXAM ROOM G the plate read. She peered through the window, realizing in a matter of moments she would be mere inches away from a woman who was the last of her kind….the woman who was believed to be the savior of the human race. She took a deep breath and tapped on the glass. Aerith looked up and Elena gasped. Such beautiful and innocent greenish blue eyes were staring back at her. Elena swallowed hard and opened the door, letting it close behind her. Aerith's long hair was swept around her shoulder, falling in long curls down her chest. She was squeezing the edge of the exam table and she looked cold in her paper-thin hospital gown. There were a thousand things scribbled on the whiteboard in the room and what looked like a tablet of chemical reaction formulas laying to Aerith's left on a doctor's tray. Elena noticed five vials laid out on the tray. She took note what was on each one: FAIR, Z. GAINSBOROUGH, A. SAMPLE 1, SAMPLE 2, SAMPLE 3. She looked at the tiny bottle with a cap marked 'sealed': PAP GAINSBOROUGH, A. But what bothered her was the active mako nearby. Not just any mako….the same mako that was injected into SOLDIER. She didn't doubt Tseng for a minute….but she was leery of the hospital staff and the fact that they were dying to find out what happened if…well…if.

"Are you her?" Aerith asked startling Elena.

"What!" Elena asked rather excitedly. At least Aerith had broken the seemingly eternal silence.

"It's okay. I'm Aerith. I forgive you." She said sincerely.

"Huh?" Elena asked captivated by this woman.

"You didn't know about me and Zack." Aerith said, still studying Elena.

"Oh…OH! That….oh….no, no. sweetie…that's not me. I…I didn't…I…believe me…I haven't been with you boyfriend." Elena said gaining her composure and sitting beside Aerith in the chair near the exam table. Aerith laughed sweetly.

"Well then…you are…the one. He told me all about you. He's in love with you, you know." Aerith laughed again. "He'd never say that out loud though. When Tseng falls…he falls hard. Please don't tell him I told you." Elena shook her head.

"I won't." Elena said quickly. Oooh if Aerith only knew… "I'm Elena, but I guess you already knew that. So uh…do you know what they've….done to you? In here I mean?" Aerith shrugged.

"Not really, just a bunch of tests. Everyone's so…crazy…all because I slept with a SOLDIER." Aerith whispered the last part. Elena wasn't sure what to say. She just watched this delicate woman on the cold exam table. "It hurt…it hurt a lot." Aerith laughed again. "I tried to hide it…but I couldn't." Aerith paused. "Will it hurt like that the next time?" Elena's mind had been racing the whole time Aerith was talking.

"Why didn't you use any protection? I know Tseng has told you that mako could…well…no one knows what it would do to you." Elena said. She wondered why the hell innocent Aerith hadn't asked her how she managed to get through hospital security and into Aerith's room. "Are you pregnant? Is it too soon to know?"

"I'm not pregnant." Aerith laughed. "Well, not yet. But…I felt sick for three days after we had sex. The doctor says it was the mako in…everybody wants to know what happens…you know…SOLDIER and Cetra. The doctors seem to think that…"

"Do you have any idea how much Tseng worries about your safety?" Elena interrupted Aerith. Her voice was a bit trembly. "You're like a daughter to him. This….this is so hard for him to handle and you and I both know he can handle damn near anything…except this. He had a feeling, that's why he gave you the pills. If you take those every day, they neutralize mako present in the body. You have to take these every day, they weren't easy for Tseng to get." Aerith stared at Elena.

"You love him. You wouldn't be here with me if you didn't." she said.

"Yeah…yeah, I…I do. I can't bear to see him so upset…all because you chose to sleep with your boyfriend. I understand. Really….I do. Come on…it's not like I hesitated to get in bed with my boyfriend as quick as I possible could." Elena laughed. She by no means was siding with Aerith, but she understood a little more objectively than Tseng did. "Listen, I'm not here….to give you advice. It's orders….that's why I'm here. But, you need to be careful." She looked in to deep greenish-blue eyes.

"You and I are a lot alike." Aerith said naively.

"No, no honey…" she smiled and laughed slightly. "As a friend of mine once said…there's a huge difference in fuckin' a boy…and fuckin' a man. You and I…are nothing alike." Elena stood up. "Listen…I'm good with a gun. If you don't have Tseng around…I'll help you out." Elena promised her.

"Is she pretty?" Aerith asked out of nowhere.

"Huh?" Elena asked.

"Her…you know…_her_?" Aerith asked. Elena stared at the tile floor.

"I can't lie to you…she's beautiful. She's experienced…she…she knows what she's doing…I'm sorry to tell you that." Elena admitted. "She…she would have never hurt you…had she known. Believe me…she wouldn't have. She's a gem."

"You know what they say, just get back up…when love knocks you down." Aerith smiled. She was shockingly sincere. Elena couldn't understand why she was so carefree with her attitude.

"Yeah well…I'll say it again. You need to be careful." Elena repeated.

"Reno, you had better put your stupid phone away before Tseng freaks the hell out. There is something on his mind and you blasting every song on the radio right now doesn't help." Rude said.

"Thanks for throwing me into the viper pit." Cissnei said returning to Reno's side after this miserable SOLDIER picture.

"I need the president and the SOLDIER director!" the photographer yelled.

"Awkward picture number one, boss. Right here." Rude said quickly leaving Reno before Tseng had a chance to lose it on Reno.

"You got that right. The son with all the money…and the lovechild." Tseng said referring to Lazard as the latter. Rude's phone dinged indicating he had a text message. He read it quickly.

"Hey…you and Elena gonna be doing anything tonight?" Ride asked.

"No, not that I know of." Tseng answered him.

"Good….you two are going to dinner with me at 7:00. I have a date and I can't go alone." Rude said insecurely.

"I can't believe I'm saying this…I mean I really…really can't believe I'm saying this but…just fuck him already! I'm sorry that was uncalled for. I'm on edge. Sure, we'll be there." Tseng promised him.

"Hey Rufus…Rufus. Just so you know…I recommend having sex to this song like…half the night. You wanna ask me how I know that?" Reno asked playing yet another marvelous selection from his phone. Rufus shook his head.

"You know…it's a good thing Tseng says you're a borderline genius…'cause you're weird as fuck." Rufus reiterated his earlier comments. "Cissnei, where's Elena?" Cissnei spun around where she was.

"I don't know sir…but there's nothing Elena can do…that I can't do." She smiled and ran her fingers over the edge of Rufus's immaculate suit. Reno rolled his eyes and shook his head at her. No one heard the elevator doors. Elena reappeared quickly, tapping Tseng on the shoulder.

"I found this before I left and I took it. I thought it best be destroyed." Elena said handing Tseng a vial that was marked: FAIR/GAINSBOROUGH SAMPLE.

"What kind of sample is this?" Tseng asked.

"I don't want to know what the fuck is in that vial. Just destroy it." Elena said.

"You're right. Tseng said taking it from her and tucking it away quickly. "He keeps asking about you." Tseng said nodding toward Rufus.

"Tell him I'm not here." Elena said jokingly because Rufus knew good and well she was standing right there.

"Rufus, have you ever heard this song?" Reno said distracting Rufus from Cissnei.

"No." was his matter of fact comment.

"What the hell! 'Extraterrestrial'? I can't compete with that! I don't have my phone up here! I can't show him the pictures Reno took of my last weekend! God!" Cissnei told Rude exasperatedly.

"You two…are so fucked up…" Rude said shaking his head.

"I need the President, the Director and Elena." The photographer called.

"Oh shit…" Elena mumbled.

"Elena? Come." Rufus said extending a hand to her.

"Yeah…that's what he said when he was fuckin' 'er." Reno whispered to Cissnei. So why this deadly combination? It was simple…Elena was the unfortunate Turk to have saved the president and Tseng happened to be her boss. Elena looked back at Tseng, not reaching a hand toward Rufus. She had that 'oh god let's get this the hell over with look on her face'.

She and Tseng followed Rufus forward. Elena sighed as she followed the photographer's instructions to sit in the chair before him. He positioned Rufus to her left and Tseng to her right.

"I think this calls for a song…oooooh how about Judas? That seems completely appropriate!" Reno said excitedly.

"Reno! Tseng is absolutely gonna kill you when this is all over!" Rude warned him.

"But Rude these lyrics are so appropriate! Because Elena is just a holy fool who's still in love with Judas, baby!" Reno tried to convince him.

"You're a dead man Reno." Rude reiterated. Elena felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew it was Tseng's but what nearly made her squeal uncomfortably was Rufus's hand on her other shoulder.

"That is….painfully awkward." Cissnei said seeing this from a distance. "God, the man she's fuckin' and the man she fucked…one on each arm."

"Both with insane amounts of power." Rude reminded her.

"Yeah…damn it, Rufus is sooooo fine." Reno said letting his already short attention span drift. "If I were Elena…well shit we've all said it….but if I were Elena, I wouldn't be fuckin' my boss. I'd be fucking the boss _of _my boss. I wonder…is Rufus really no good in bed or is that Elena's twisted and biased opinion?" Reno asked.

"It's her it's not him. It's Rufus Shinra Reno! The man IS sex." Cissnei said. To make this photo even more uncomfortable, Rufus leaned forward and whispered something to Elena. She turned pale in the face. Thank god this moment was over as quickly as it happened. Rufus squeezed her shoulder before walking away. Elena still felt numb in this stupid chair. Nonetheless, she reached up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Just remember who I love...and who I'm fucking tonight Rufus…"

My apologies for any typos. I proofread this quickly.


End file.
